Swiss bar fire investigation: Did soundproofing foam at Le Constellation violate safety codes?
Crans-Montana: Investigators stated Friday that they believe sparkling candles attached to Champagne bottles ignited a catastrophic fire at a Swiss ski resort when they were held too close to the ceiling of a bar packed with New Year's Eve revellers.
Authorities are probing whether sound-dampening material on the ceiling complied with safety codes and if the "Bengal light" style sparklers, which emit a fountain of upward-shooting sparks, were permitted for use inside the establishment.
The inferno at Le Constellation bar early Thursday killed 40 people and injured 119 others, marking one of the deadliest disasters in modern Swiss history.
Valais Attorney General Béatrice Pilloud said the investigation will also review fire extinguishers, escape routes, and overall regulatory compliance. She warned of potential criminal prosecutions for negligent homicide or arson if liability is established.
The tragedy has left families in a state of agonising uncertainty. Arthur Brodard, 16, from Lausanne, remains among the missing. His mother, Laetitia, searched frantically in Crans-Montana on Friday, hoping her son might be among the six unidentified injured victims.
“I’m looking everywhere. The body of my son is somewhere,” she told reporters. “I want to know, where is my child, and be by his side, wherever that may be — be it in the intensive care unit or the morgue.”
Valais police commander Frédéric Gisler reported that the injured include 71 Swiss nationals, 14 from France, and 11 from Italy. Victims also include citizens of Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Luxembourg, Belgium, Portugal, and Poland, while the nationalities of 14 others remain unconfirmed.
Axel Clavier, a 16-year-old from Paris, described the moment the celebration turned into a struggle for air. He escaped by using a table to smash open a window. While Clavier survived, he confirmed that one of his friends perished and several others are still unaccounted for.
“I have seen horror, and I don’t know what else would be worse than this,” said Gianni Campolo, 19, a Swiss vacationer who rushed to the scene to assist first responders. He described seeing victims on the ground with catastrophic burns.
Witnesses described a scene of "total chaos." Two women told French broadcaster BFMTV they saw a bartender lifting a colleague onto his shoulders as she held a lit candle in a bottle. The resulting flames quickly consumed the wooden ceiling, leading to a deadly crowd surge as patrons attempted to flee the basement nightclub through a narrow staircase and a single exit door.
Identification of the deceased has proven exceptionally difficult due to the intensity of the fire. Families have been asked to provide DNA samples to authorities, as many personal identification documents were destroyed in the blaze.
Among those officially listed as missing is Emanuele Galeppini, a 17-year-old Italian golfer who competed internationally. While the Italian Golf Federation has posted a tribute on its website announcing his death, his family is still awaiting formal DNA verification.
Crans-Montana, a premier destination for international alpine skiing and host to the annual European Masters golf tournament, has been transformed into a site of mourning. Hundreds gathered Friday at the Church of Montana-Station and an impromptu floral memorial near the bar to pray for the victims.
With inputs from AP