The developments in the tragedy that unfolded in the early hours of the New Year at the popular bar “Le Constellation” in . In the last few hours there has been intense anxiety surrounding the list of victims, as .
It is about the 15-year-old, who has dual citizenship and is a permanent resident of Switzerland.
According to what her brother reported on Facebook, the 15-year-old was with three of her friends at the bar and has not given any signs of life.
On Friday night, the news that the minor’s body had been identified made the rounds of the internet. However, the missing woman’s brother, Romain, denied the information. “Alice has not been identified yet. Pray until the last minute.”
At least 40 dead – 80 injured in critical condition
The number of dead, the Swiss insist, is 40, while identification continues, in cooperation with nine countries, which leaves suspicions about their nationalities.
French newspaper Le Midi Libre reported that a French woman had been identified as among those killed in the fire, but the French foreign ministry had no comment.
According to the head of the cantonal police, Frédéric Giesler, 113 of the 119 injured in the deadly fire have been identified. The nationalities of fourteen of the injured have not yet been confirmed.
Among the injured are 71 Swiss, 14 French citizens, 11 Italians, four Serbians, as well as nationals of Bosnia, Belgium, Luxembourg, Poland and Portugal.
Italy and France are among the countries that have said some of their nationals are still missing. Australia has also said an Australian national was injured.
The burns suffered by many of the injured – the majority of them young children – from the tragedy in Crans Montana are so severe that Swiss officials say . At the same time, they warned that the number of dead may increase.
🚨🇨🇭🔥 People trapped by the flames in the Crans-Montana bar desperately try to escape through the only exit, which is blocked. (witnesses)
— SuisseAlert (@SuisseAlert)
The causes of the tragedy
Initial investigations suggest they came very close to the roof of the building, Beatrice Pugh, the public prosecutor of the canton of Valais, told a news conference in Sion today.
“Everything suggests that the fire was started by sparking candles placed in the mouth of champagne bottles. These reached very close to the ceiling. From there, a quick, very quick and extensive fire ensued,” District Attorney Pugh emphasized.
Incredible to watch these people filming the fire. Survival instinct goes downhill when likely impaired by alcohol.
— Scott (@RandomHeroWX)
The owners of the bar were questioned
The two French managers of the Le Constellation bar destroyed by the deadly fire in Crans-Montana were questioned today, Beatrice Pugh said, stressing that several people had been questioned about the tragedy and that investigations had been carried out at the scene.
Sources told AFP yesterday that the owners of Le Constellation are a French couple from Corsica, Jacques Moretti, 49, and his wife Jessica, 40. “For now, it has not been established that there is criminal responsibility,” noted the attorney general.
The specific interrogations helped compile lists of people who were present that night and also “helped explain the interior layout of the venue, the renovations that took place and the capacity of the venue,” Pugh added.
The prosecutor said the next stage of the investigation will focus in particular on “the renovations that took place inside the bar, the materials used, the operating permits, the security measures” and compliance with fire safety regulations.
For his part, speaking to the RTL network, Stéphane Ganzer, head of security for the canton of Valais, said that the “building had an emergency exit”.
“But you have to imagine that in case of a widespread fire (…), we can estimate that maybe very few people found that exit,” he said.
🔴🇨🇭 FLASH NEWS – A video captures the start of the fire at the “Le Constellation” bar in Crans-Montana (VS), while the ceiling catches fire.
— Media Express (@media_express_e)
In Switzerland military doctors from France
A group of French military doctors went to Switzerland late in the afternoon for a “burn assessment mission” ahead of their transfer to other countries.
This team – which consists of a plastic surgeon, an anesthesiologist and a qualified nurse, as well as a doctor from the fire service – “will remain in the country for several days to support the work of the Swiss health authorities”.
In France, the burn units of the Army Health Service have been put on alert, notably the military hospitals of Percy, near Paris, and Sainte-Anne in Toulon. They work closely with the Ministry of Health to make the appropriate distribution of the injured, in the short and medium term.
Three of the injured, two French and one Swiss, were taken to Lyon and Paris in the morning. Swiss authorities have asked France to take in eight more wounded, Foreign Ministry spokesman Pascal Confavre said.
Poland receives wounded
Poland is ready to receive 14 people injured in the fire in its hospitals, the Polish Prime Minister said today.
“Following a request from Switzerland, we are ready to provide special medical care to 14 wounded in Polish hospitals,” wrote Donald Tusk in X.
According to the spokeswoman of the Ministry of the Interior, Poland has prepared 14 beds in the hospital in the city of Siemianowice Slaskie (south), which specializes in treating burns and chronic wounds.
Poland also offered the help of two medical teams on the ground, mainly to assess the condition of the patients.
The defense minister, the spokeswoman for the Polish interior ministry added, suggested sending planes to transport the wounded who could be taken to Polish hospitals.
The Italian Foreign Minister at the scene of the tragedy
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani arrived at noon at the scene of the tragedy at the Le Constellation club in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, where he laid flowers.
Thirteen Italians remain in hospital, with five of them suffering “serious injuries and burns”, according to the Italian foreign minister.
Tajani said earlier that only three of the wounded who are being treated have yet to be identified. He added that 13 Italians are hospitalized and six remain missing.
“As far as the investigation into the murder is concerned, the (Swiss) attorney general told me that dozens of inquiries have already taken place. The goal is to determine the responsibilities for this enormous tragedy,” said the Italian Foreign Minister. “Something went wrong here, something didn’t work, but it is up to the judiciary to conduct the investigation and assign responsibility,” noted the head of Italian diplomacy.
At the same time, the family of 17-year-old Italian Emanuele Galepini deny that he has been identified as dead.
According to ERT’s correspondent in Italy, his relatives have not identified his body and the teenage golfer remains missing.
Earlier, his name was released as the first confirmed victim of the deadly fire.
