Haunting footage from the fire at Le Constellation nightclub at the Crans-Montana ski resort in Switzerland that killed around 40 people and injured 115 others was released.
A photo, which was verified by the BBC, shows the fire start to spread over the low ceiling as patrons celebrated New Year’s Eve with sparklers and bottles high in the air. Another photo shows a woman wearing a motorcycle helmet holding up bottles lit with sparklers while being carried on the shoulders of a masked man.
Witnesses who attended the nightclub claim that the sparklers were responsible for the deadly blaze, though it hasn’t been officially determined as the cause by Swiss authorities.
“It was firework candles inside a champagne bottle that caused the explosion. The entire ceiling of the bar caught fire,” said one witness, who told French broadcaster BFMTV that her name was Victoria.
Several videos shared online showed the fire break out at the bar.
A teenage international golfer was the first publicly identified victim killed in the fire. The Italian Golf Federation shared a statement paying tribute to Emanuel Galeppini, 16, an Italian native who lived in Dubai, which was obtained by Reuters on Friday (January 2).
“The Italian Golf Federation mourns the passing of Emanuele Galeppini, a young athlete who carried with him passion and genuine values,” the federation said via the New York Post.
Local police chief Frederic Gisler said “we can expect victims of foreign nationalities” while providing the preliminary death toll during a press conference on Thursday (January 1). Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani confirmed that the death toll rose to 47 after being in continued contact with Swiss authorities throughout the day on Thursday.
Several other victims involved in the fire were also reported to be teenagers, according to the French outlet RTS via the New York Post. Three disaster trucks, 13 helicopters, 42 ambulances and 150 emergency responders were reported to be present at the scene after the fire broke out at Le Constellation bar just after 1:30 a.m. local time.
“This was one of the worst tragedies our country has experienced,” Swiss President Guy Parmelin said during a press conference on Thursday via the New York Post.
Crans-Montana is a historic venue on the professional skiing circuit having hosted the 1987 FIS World Alpine Skiing Championships, which debuted the super-G discipline to the world championships, and is scheduled to host the world championships in February 2027. The venue is also the home of the Omega European Masters golf tournament on the DP World Tour.
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