Crans Montana: From Celebration to Tragedy – Sparkling Champagnes and the Drama of Identification

Witnesses reveal how the fire broke out inside the packed ‘Le Constellation’, while champagne bottles, combined with questionable safety measures and flammable materials inside , in the early hours of the New Year.

Among the patrons who had fun at the fateful store was , from a Greek father and an Italian mother.

How the fire started – “Flickering candles were kept burning”

Swiss authorities believe the fire started when sparking smoke bombs placed on top of champagne bottles came dangerously close to the wooden ceiling of the “Le Constellation” bar in the ski resort of Crans-Montana.

Axel Clavier, 16, from Paris, who was at the bar, said he did not see the fire start, but had earlier seen waitresses arrive with bottles of champagne and lit sparkly candles.

🚨🇨🇭🔥 People trapped by the flames in the Crans-Montana bar desperately try to escape through the only exit, which is blocked. (witnesses)

— SuisseAlert (@SuisseAlert)

Two women who spoke to France’s BFMTV reported seeing a bartender lift a female colleague, who was holding a bottle of lit candle, on his shoulders. A few seconds later, the flames spread and the wooden ceiling was ablaze.

Panic, overcrowding and exit-traps

Scenes of mayhem ensued. One of the witnesses described scenes of panic as dozens of people tried to escape the underground space, climbing a narrow staircase and passing through a single, narrow opening.

This seems to be a foto that shows how the catastrophe in started. I wonder how long it takes, until that hits main stream media. Who organized indoor fireworks? And how could they have an approval from the fire police lacking obviously enough escape routes.

— 𝒟𝒶𝓃𝒾ℯ𝓁 𝒦ℯ𝓁𝓁ℯ𝓇 (@jobe451)

Another eyewitness reported people struggling to break through Plexiglas windows to escape, many seriously injured, while panicked parents rushed to the scene in cars, trying to find out if their children were trapped inside.

“I felt like I was drowning” – Escape and dead friends

16-year-old Clavier managed to save himself by breaking a window with a table, but one of his friends was killed. According to Swiss authorities, 40 people died and 119 were injured, many of them between the ages of 15 and 25.

“I saw absolute horror”

19-year-old Swiss Gianni Campolo, who was on holiday in the area, rushed to the bar to help first responders after receiving a call from a friend who had escaped.

He described people trapped on the ground, seriously injured and with extensive burns. “I have seen such horror and I don’t know what could be worse than this,” he told TF1.

Difficult identification – Families give DNA

The intensity of the fire has made it extremely difficult to identify the bodies. In many cases, wallets and identity documents were reduced to ashes, with families being asked to provide DNA samples.

Among the missing is the 17-year-old Italian golfer Emanuele Galepini, an internationally recognized talent. Although the Italian golf federation announced his death, his family is awaiting official confirmation through DNA.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said 13 Italians were injured and six remain missing.

Condolences from the Pope – Memorials and prayers

Pope Leo sent a telegram of condolence to the bishop of Sion, praying for the victims and their families.

Meanwhile, residents left candles and flowers at a makeshift memorial, while hundreds gathered at the Montana-Station church. Accounts were created on social media with photos of missing persons, with appeals for information.

Ski center of world radiation

Crans-Montana is located in the heart of the Alps, with pistes reaching 3,000 meters in altitude, and is one of the top ski World Cup stations. The last games before the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics were to be held there.

Authorities have urged residents and visitors to exercise caution as local medical facilities remain under heavy pressure.