First four victims identified in Swiss Alps bar fire as families face agonising wait

Swiss police announced on Saturday that the first four victims of a deadly fire at a bar in a Crans-Montana ski resort have been identified.

The bodies of two teens aged 16, an 18-year-old and a 21-year-old, were returned to their families after the identification.

The police said the identification of other victims, injured and deceased, was pressing on, and gave no further information.

The fire at Le Constellation bar turned a New Year's Eve celebration into one of the country's worst tragedies, and was likely started by sparklers carried in champagne bottles, officials said on Friday afternoon.

They added that 113 out of 119 people injured had been formally identified, acknowledging the prolonged heartache for families still waiting to hear about their missing loved ones.

"The priority today is truly placed on identification, in order to allow the families to begin their mourning,” said Beatrice Pilloud, the Valais region's attorney general.

“It's a wait that destroys people's stability,” said Elvira Venturella, an Italian psychologist working with the families of those who were at the bar. “And the more time passes, the more difficult it becomes to accept the uncertainty, not having information.”

“I’m looking everywhere. The body of my son is somewhere,” Laetitia Brodard, from Lausanne, Switzerland, told reporters. “I want to know where my child is and be by his side. Wherever that may be, be it in the intensive care unit or the morgue.”

Brodard said she received a message from her son just after midnight saying “Happy New Year, mom, I love you,” and she replied “Happy New Year, big guy, have a good time.” That was their last contact.

The severity of the burns has made it difficult to identify both the injured and deceased, requiring families to supply authorities with DNA samples.

In some cases, wallets and any identification documents were incinerated. An Instagram account has been filled with photos of people who are unaccounted for, and friends and relatives have begged for tips on their whereabouts.

International support for the treatment of the victims

Meanwhile, international aid for the seriously injured victims is being organised. Four patients were admitted to German hospitals shortly after the New Year's Eve fire, with a further seven to follow, the Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK) announced on Friday evening.

According to the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Protection, a total of 50 injured people are to be transferred to hospitals abroad by Sunday. In addition to Germany, hospitals in France, Italy and Belgium are also expected to receive injured.

Many are facing lengthy treatments. In some cases, more than 70% of the victim's body surface was burnt. Many also suffered severe lung damage due to smoke inhalation.

Some patients would likely require a double-digit number of surgical procedures. The plan is to take each of them to the operating room about every other day.

Fire safety and facilities criticised

While the treatment of the fire victims continues, criticism of the bar's fire safety and structural design is also growing.

According to eyewitnesses, there was a massive crush on a narrow staircase leading from the basement to the ground floor when people tried to leave the Le Constellation bar.

A 31-year-old bartender from Crans-Montana reported that there was only one combined entrance and exit as well as one other emergency exit, which he said was always blocked during his visits.

The emergency exit was in a separate room used as a smoking room. "Everyone in the town knew that this would go wrong at some point," he told German newspaper Bild.

Fire safety experts Peter Wilkinson and Edwin Galea told the BBC that sound-absorbing polyurethane foam on the ceiling had probably ignited during the fire. This material is highly flammable and can emit dense, toxic smoke, significantly reducing escape time.

According to Valais attorney general Beatrice Pilloud, the public prosecutor's office is examining, among other things, conversions, materials used, operating licences, safety precautions and escape and evacuation routes.

They are also investigating whether any survivors present could be prosecuted. Photos and videos showed revellers with fireworks in champagne bottles, which, according to initial findings, could have ignited the foam on the ceiling.

Negligent arson or involuntary manslaughter could be considered, Pilloud said. So far, however, there are no corresponding indications.