Families of Teenagers Missing After Fire at Swiss Ski Resort Await Updates
The families of teenagers missing after a fire at a bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana are enduring a painful wait for updates, with some turning to social media to seek information about their loved ones. Swiss officials confirmed that the blaze, which killed 40 people and injured 119, was likely caused by sparklers placed on bottles of champagne that came “too close to the ceiling,” according to statements made at a news conference on Friday.
Investigation into Fire Safety Measures Underway
Valais Attorney General Beatrice Pilloud announced that the investigation would focus on the materials used at the site, the bar’s fire safety protocols, its capacity, and the number of people inside during the incident. Authorities have indicated it could take several days or even weeks to identify all the victims, as 113 of the injured have been accounted for, leaving six still unlocated.
Parents Seek Answers Amid Uncertainty
Families and friends of the missing have been actively searching for news, with some sharing their anguish online. Arthur Brodard, a 16-year-old Swiss national, remains unaccounted for, his mother Laetitia said. “I must find my son… it’s been 30 hours since [he] disappeared,” she told the BBC, expressing hope that his photo would be widely seen so someone might recognize him and contact her.
“We just want to find him, and that’s it,” said Francesca, the aunt of Achille Osvaldo Giovanni Barosi, a 16-year-old Italian national missing since entering the bar on New Year’s Day to retrieve his jacket and phone. His family has not heard from him since, with officials still uncertain about his fate.
The Italian foreign ministry reported that six of its citizens are still missing, including Emanuele Galeppini, a 16-year-old junior golfer originally from Genoa but now residing in Dubai. The Italian Golf Federation stated he is dead, paying tribute to a “young athlete who carried with him passion and authentic values,” though the fire was not explicitly mentioned. His father, Edoardo, shared that his son was last heard from around midnight, according to Italian TV channel TG24.
Giovanni Tamburi, another missing Italian, was on holiday with his father but had gone out with friends and ended up at the bar, his mother Carla Masiello revealed to La Repubblica. She noted that a close friend told her the teenager ran away after the fire broke out and had his phone with him.
