By Hugo Miller and Myriam Balezou
Bloomberg News
CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland — Critically injured victims of the deadly fire that engulfed a bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana are being treated in specialist burns units as far afield as Stuttgart, Milan and Paris, underscoring the scale of the tragedy.
The blaze has already claimed 40 lives and a further 115 people were seriously injured in the fire that broke out in Le Constellation bar at around 1:30 a.m. on Thursday, as party-goers celebrated the New Year. Many of those, including a football player from French club FC Metz, are in a critical condition, French broadcaster BFMTV reported on Friday.
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Swiss officials are investigating the blaze, which they say was the result of an accident. One photo posted by BFMTV appears to show sparklers stuffed into champagne bottles igniting a fire in the ceiling of the bar. Eyewitnesses say the flames, along with dense black smoke, spread rapidly.
Interviewed by BFMTV, the mother of one 16-year-old who was in the bar said that 30 hours on she still didn’t know if her “son was in a hospital or in a morgue.”
Authorities in the canton of Valais are working to identify victims, with the popular resort of Crans-Montana hosting many foreign visitors, particularly from Italy and France.
Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told RaiNews24 television that 12 to 15 Italian citizens were hospitalized following the fire. A further 16 are missing. Nine French citizens are being treated for their injuries and a further eight are missing, according to BFM.
Cantonal police chief Frederic Gisler said the first officers arrived at the bar within two minutes of being alerted of the fire. The Valais authorities dispatched 13 helicopters and 42 ambulances to transport the victims to local hospitals and specialist burn centers in Lausanne and Zurich.
Swiss officials at a press conference on Thursday said no one has been arrested and that it’s premature to talk about whether any criminal charges could be laid.
Beatrice Pilloud, Valais attorney general, said investigators have retrieved some phones and are conducting interviews with witnesses. One part of the work will be to see if the venue had the correct safety procedures and emergency exits.
Swiss President Guy Parmelin described what happened as “one of the worst tragedies that our country has ever known.”
Police have set up a helpline for families seeking information: (+41) 848 112 117.
Crans-Montana is a well-known ski and hiking area and hosts World Cup ski races. Vail Resorts Inc., the world’s largest ski-resort operator, recently acquired the ski station as part of a European expansion. The company doesn’t own the bar.
Our “thoughts are with the victims and their families,” Vail Resorts said in a statement, adding that it stands “ready to support their efforts in any appropriate way.”
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