Investigators on Friday faced the grim task of identifying victims from a devastating blaze that tore through a crowded New Year’s Eve party at the Le Constellation bar, a ski resort, killing around 40 people and leaving more than 100 injured, many critically.
The first publicly identified victim was 16-year-old Italian international golfer Emanuele Galeppini, who lived in Dubai.
Authorities cautioned that the identification process could take days due to the severity of the burns sustained by the mostly young crowd.
Dental and DNA samples are being used to confirm identities.
Parents of missing youths issued desperate pleas for information.
“I have been searching for my son for 30 hours. The wait is unbearable,” Laetitia, mother of 16-year-old Arthur, told BFM TV. “If he’s alive, he’s alone. If he’s dead, I don’t even know where he is.”
Swiss officials stressed the process of naming victims must be meticulous. “All this work needs to be done because the information is so terrible and sensitive that nothing can be told to the families unless we are 100% sure,” said Mathias Reynard, president of the canton of Valais.
Authorities have removed all bodies from the bar, while police continue investigating the fire, which they said is not considered an attack.
Survivor accounts and social media footage suggest the blaze may have ignited when sparklers or candles caught the basement ceiling on fire.
Axel, a 16-year-old who escaped, said he flipped a table and broke a window to flee, bypassing a narrow door crowded with panicked partygoers.
Valais officials have opened a criminal investigation to determine responsibility and compliance with safety standards. Attorney General Beatrice Pilloud said investigators are also ruling out terrorism.
“The leading hypothesis is a generalized conflagration that caused a deflagration,” she said.
Italian authorities confirmed 13 Italians are hospitalized and six remain missing.
France confirmed at least one of its nationals was among the victims.
Several critically injured individuals have been transferred to hospitals in neighboring countries, including France, Germany, and Italy, with specialized burn units taking in patients.
French Health Minister Stephanie Rist said 19 hospital beds have been reserved to support Swiss medical teams.
The tragedy has shaken Crans-Montana, a ski and golf hotspot known for the European Masters and World Cup ski events.
Hundreds gathered outside the burned bar, leaving flowers and candles, while others prayed at the nearby Church of Montana-Station.
“It could have been us,” said 18-year-old Emma from Geneva, who skipped the party after seeing long queues.
“All the missing are people our age.” Seventeen-year-old Elisa Sousa said she had intended to attend the celebration but stayed home instead. “I’ll need to thank my mother a hundred times for keeping me away,” she said.
Swiss President Guy Parmelin, on his first day in largely ceremonial office, praised emergency responders.
“Many were confronted by scenes of indescribable violence and distress. Switzerland is strong not because it is sheltered from drama, but because it knows how to face it with courage and a spirit of mutual help,” he said.
