The families of teenagers missing after a fire at a bar in a Swiss ski resort are facing an agonising wait for official news and appealing for information about their loved ones online.
The blaze ripped through Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, in the Alps in south-west Switzerland, in the early hours of New Year’s Day. Verified images show the ceiling catching alight as bottles with sparklers are held aloft.
Swiss authorities have said it could take days if not weeks to identify the victims of the fire, which killed 40 people and injured another 119. Officials said on Friday that 113 of the injured have been identified, with authorities still working to identify the other six.
In the meantime, families and friends have been taking to social media to appeal for information about their loved ones who were at the bar that night.
The whereabouts of Swiss national Arthur Brodard, 16, are currently unknown, according to an appeal from his mother, Laetitia.
The resident of Lutry, near Lausanne, told local newspaper Le Temps that she had returned to Lausanne to see if he was in the hospital, while Arthur’s father did the same in Bern, but could not find him.
“I’m living a nightmare, a nightmare. Either I find my son in the morgue, or I find him in critical condition. It’s terrible,” she said.
Laetitia told the newspaper that some of Arthur’s friends had been found with burns covering nearly half their bodies. “There are no words; they went through hell.”
The Italian foreign ministry has said six of its citizens remain missing.
Among them is Emanuele Galeppini, a 16-year-old junior golfer, originally from Genoa but now living in Dubai.
The Italian Golf Federation has said he is dead, without mentioning the fire, paying tribute to a “young athlete who carried with him passion and authentic values”.
His father, Edoardo, is quoted by Italian TV channel TG24 as saying his son was at the bar and was last heard from around midnight. An Italian foreign ministry spokesperson has told the BBC that it is not confirming the death yet.
Giovanni Tamburi, 16, is also among the missing. His mother, Carla Masiello, from Bologna, told La Repubblica that he had been on holiday with his father but had gone out with friends and ended up at La Constellation.
“A close friend of his told me they ran away after the fire broke out and that he had [his phone] with him, but then at a certain point he couldn’t see him anymore,” she told the newspaper, adding he had been wearing a gold chain with a small Madonna around his neck.
Tania Causio, one of his teachers at Porta Saragozza High School, told La Repubblica: “I’ve always been struck by his kindness and smile, coupled with great maturity. Every time I walk into class, he asks if I want him to go get me a coffee.”
Alice Kallergis, who holds dual Greek and Swiss nationality but lives permanently in Switzerland, was also at the bar on New Year’s Eve, according to sources and reports in Greek media.
Her brother has posted an appeal on Instagram, saying the family has had “no news” regarding the 15-year-old or the three friends she was with and who are also reported missing.
Greek consular authorities say they are continuing to monitor the situation closely.
Additional reporting by Nikos Papanikolaou