Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
Switzerland is still reeling from shock and mourning following the deadly bar fire in Crans-Montana. I personally associate the Swiss mountain resort with idyllic ski holidays from my childhood – like some of you, perhaps. But now it known as the site of one of Switzerland’s worst tragedies.
Our thoughts are with everyone affected.
The Swissinfo editorial team
On New Year’s Eve, 40 people lost their lives and 119 were seriously injured in a devastating fire in a bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana.
At around 1:30am, smoke was reported coming from the bar “Le Constellation” in the centre of the mountain resort. The well-known bar, which is popular with young people, was quickly engulfed in flames.
Videos circulating online show the bar’s ceiling on fire. The Swiss public broadcaster SRF has confirmed that the footage was filmed inside the bar. The images show people trying to flee in panic. “Everyone was pushing. People next to me were on fire or already dead,” one eyewitness told SRF.
Forty people died in the inferno, and 119 were injured. Swiss President Guy Parmelin described it as one of the country’s “worst disasters”.
Many of the victims suffered burns covering more than 60% of their bodies and had to be placed in medically induced comas. Burns affecting as little as 10% of the body are already considered severe. Many of those affected are young patients. “On average, they are between 16 and 26 years old,” the director of Lausanne University Hospital told the daily newspaper 24heures.
Identifying those affected is proving difficult. “We have many relatives searching for their loved ones. Many parents are missing their children and some have to travel long distances from other language regions,” Marcel Schlatter of Zurich University Hospital told SRF.
Among the injured are 71 Swiss nationals. Fourteen people are from France and 11 from Italy, with small numbers of victims from other countries such as Serbia, Belgium and Portugal. One victim whose identity has been confirmed is the 16-year-old Italian golfer Emanuele Galeppini.
On Friday, forensic specialists secured further evidence. Flowers and teddy bears have been laid at the site of the disaster, and media from around the world are reporting from Crans-Montana.
The investigation into the bar inferno is still at an early stage, and several hypotheses are being examined, the authorities said. One theory, however, is beginning to emerge: “We assume that the fire was caused by sparklers attached to champagne bottles. They set the ceiling on fire.”
Escape routes, fire extinguishers, acoustic foam ceiling panels, the number of people present and the maximum permitted occupancy, as well as access routes, are all currently under investigation. But according to the authorities, it is still too early to reach a definitive assessment of what caused the heavy death toll.
What is certain is that the fire spread rapidly. The authorities believe that a flashover occurred – the sudden transition from a developing fire to a major blaze – triggering one or more explosions. In such a scenario, all combustible surfaces in a room ignite almost simultaneously.
Markus Grenacher, president of the Conference of Fire Inspectors, told SRF that such a flashover results from the smoke gases produced by an initially small fire. If, for example, a candle or a portable stove starts a fire, gases accumulate beneath the ceiling. If they cannot escape and combine with sufficient oxygen and rising temperatures, the entire smoke layer ignites at once. “If you are in the room at that point, it is fatal,” Grenacher said. Within seconds, the space becomes a fireball in which “simply everything is burning”.
The day after the tragedy, the devastating fire received extensive coverage in the international press.
Daily newspapers in France, Italy and the United States, together with those across Europe and around the world, highlighted the “horror”, while questions surrounding the cause of the fire remained central.
According to Swiss public broadcaster RTS in its Friday press review, the international nature of the tragedy, with many foreign nationals among the victims, and the contrast between the festive New Year atmosphere and the scale of the disaster help to explain its global resonance.
Terms such as “nightmare”, “unprecedented tragedy” and “New Year horror” dominated newspaper headlines, the Valais daily Le Nouvelliste wrote in its press review. The fire also filled the pages of The New York Times and the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun, with the news portal Watson reporting that coverage emphasised the “outrage and compassion” triggered by the inferno.
The number of minors present in the bar at the time of the fire, and whether the venue complied with safety regulations, are among the key issues being discussed. The German news magazine Der Spiegel, for example, asked how so many people could have been trapped by the flames.
A photograph published by the French news channel BFMTV, which appears to show the outbreak of the fire, has been widely shared, particularly on social media. It shows people holding champagne bottles aloft. Sparklers attached to them are seen setting fire to an acoustic layer installed on the ceiling.
The high number of injured patients has placed severe strain on the entire Swiss hospital system. Several people have been transferred to hospitals abroad.
Switzerland has two hospitals with specialised centres for severe burn injuries: Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and Zurich University Hospital (USZ). On Thursday, Rega said it had transferred 37 patients between the two centres, according to the newspaper 24heures. CHUV is currently treating 22 severely burned patients whose prognosis remains critical, its director told RTS on Friday.
On the front line, Sion Hospital initially admitted 55 seriously injured patients, its director said. By Friday, 11 patients were still being treated there, including four in intensive care, while 13 had since been able to return home. Hospitals in Sierre and Visp in canton Valais, Rennaz in canton Vaud, Geneva, Bern and St Gallen also treated injured patients. The president of the Valais cantonal government urged the public to exercise caution to avoid placing additional strain on emergency departments, noting that hospitals in the canton were already heavily burdened by numerous skiing accidents.
In view of the situation, several countries have offered assistance. Poland said it was ready to take in 14 injured patients. France, which is already treating three people in Paris and Lyon, announced the availability of 19 hospital beds, including four for children. Italy’s foreign minister, whose country has admitted four injured patients, paid tribute on Friday in Crans-Montana to the “very positive” cooperation with Switzerland. Additional patients are also being treated in Germany and Belgium. On Friday afternoon, the Valais government said that around 50 patients had been transferred, or were about to be transferred, to specialised centres across Europe.
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