Groups of relatives and survivors of the tragedy that occurred at the New Year’s Eve party at the Le Constellation bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana, in the French-speaking canton of Valais, are desperately awaiting news of their loved ones, while information about a game with flares as a possible trigger for the fire that has left at least 40 dead and about 115 injured, some in critical condition.
The Swiss newspaper ‘Blick’ spreads images of what apparently happened around 1:30 in the morning in the bar in the basement of the premises, with several Champagne bottles raised to the ceiling, each with a burning sparkler. The place is currently packed, with young people taking photos with their mobile phones. Supposedly they are images of the moments preceding the tragedy, broadcast both by that Swiss media and by the French television BFMTV and the German newspaper ‘Bild’. They coincide with the story of some survivorsaccording to which the fire ignited in a matter of seconds on the roof, madera. From there, he turned a place where some people had gathered into hell. 300 young peopleplus another 40 who were celebrating outside. Access to the basement was through a ladder something narrowaccording to the story spread by some media. There is no official confirmation either of the alleged set of flares or other pyrotechnic devices or of the layout of the premises or its security devices. To the stupor generated by the catastrophe, as well as the desperation of those awaiting news of their loved ones, is added disbelief at the supposed negligence that could have caused a tragedy that seems inappropriate for a country where strict safety regulations.
The Swiss authorities maintain extreme caution in everything surrounding the investigation of what happened. They have warned that Identifying victims can be a long processto which is added the critical condition in which at least fifty of the injured are. Many of them were transported by helicopter immediately after the disaster to hospitals in other cities in Switzerland, from Bern to Geneva or Zurich, but also to Germany, Italy and France. There is also no official information about the nationalities of those affected, out of respect for the privacy of the victims or their families. But it is assumed that among them there will be foreigners, mainly Italians and French.
Le Constellation is a place frequented by young tourists who come to the Swiss ski resort. The party organized for the end of the year in that bar was aimed at young people between 15 and 20 years oldas reported by ‘Blick’. The Swiss authorities have also pointed out that among the victims there may be very young people, even minors. “It is one of the most terrible tragedies that our country has experienced. There is no precedent,” said the president of the Swiss Confederation, Guy Parmelin, who just took office on Thursday.
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