‘Enduring a horror’: Families of adolescents unaccounted for following ski lodge blaze anxious for updates

Families of the teens who have gone missing following a fire in a bar at a skiing destination in Switzerland are enduring a painful wait for updates and are urging for any information on their loved ones via social media.

Officials from Switzerland indicated during a press briefing on Friday that the Crans-Montana blaze was probably ignited by sparklers placed on champagne bottles that were “too near the ceiling.”

The inquiry into the fire will examine the materials utilized at the location, the bar’s fire safety protocols, its capacity limits, and the number of individuals present during the incident, stated Valais Attorney General Beatrice Pilloud.

Swiss officials mentioned that it may take days, or potentially weeks, to identify the casualties from the fire that resulted in 40 fatalities and injured 119 others. Authorities noted that 113 of the injured have been recognized, while the identification of six remains ongoing.

In the interim, relatives and companions have been utilizing social media platforms to seek information regarding their loved ones who attended the bar that evening.

The location of Swiss citizen Arthur Brodard, aged 16, remains unknown, as per his mother Laetitia.

“I need to locate my son… it has been 30 hours since he vanished,” she reported to the BBC, expressing her wish for his image to “be circulated everywhere so that, hopefully, someone can recognize him and contact me.”

Ms. Brodard mentioned that she and Arthur’s father have been visiting hospitals in Lausanne and Bern but have not found him, earlier communicating to local paper Le Temps that she was “living a nightmare.”

She added that some of his companions have been discovered with severe burns covering nearly half their bodies. “Words fail me – they have experienced hell.”

Another Italian national who is currently unaccounted for is Achille Osvaldo Giovanni Barosi, 16, who entered the bar at 01:30 local time on New Year’s Day to collect his jacket and phone. His family has not received any news of him since that time.

“We are unaware if he is still alive,” his aunt Francesca conveyed to the BBC World Service’s OS programme.

Describing her nephew, who is a student at an art school in Milan, she called him a talented artist and a beautiful boy.

“We simply want to locate him, nothing more.”

The Italian foreign ministry announced that six of its citizens remain unaccounted for.

Included among those missing is Emanuele Galeppini, a 16-year-old junior golfer originally from Genoa but currently residing in Dubai.

The Italian Golf Federation has announced his death but did not specify the circumstances, honoring a “young athlete who embodied passion and authentic values.”

His father, Edoardo, stated to Italian broadcaster TG24 that his son was present in the bar and was last heard from around midnight. An official from the Italian foreign ministry informed the BBC that they have not yet confirmed his death.

Giovanni Tamburi, 16, is also among those missing. His mother Carla Masiello, from Bologna, informed La Repubblica that he was on vacation with his father but went out with friends and ended up at La Constellation.

“A close friend of his told me they fled after the fire started, mentioning he was with his phone, but eventually, he could no longer see him,” she revealed to the newspaper, noting he wore a gold chain with a small Madonna necklace.

Tania Causio, one of his instructors at Porta Saragozza High School, remarked to La Repubblica: “I have always been impressed by his kindness and smile, along with his great maturity. Every time I enter the class, he asks if I want him to fetch me a coffee.”

Reported missing by her family is Emilie Pralong, 22, who is believed to have been at Le Constellation with several friends who are also unaccounted for.

Her grandfather, Pierre, conveyed the “agonizing” wait for updates, stating to French broadcaster BFMTV: “We maintain hope – we are filled with hope. It aids in enduring whatever the hardship.”

While harboring hopes that she might appear relatively unharmed in a hospital, he stated: “We must prepare ourselves for the possibility of a more severe reality. We cannot fantasize; we must be pragmatic in light of a tragedy like this.”

Alice Kallergis, possessing both Greek and Swiss nationality but residing primarily in Switzerland, was also present at the bar on New Year’s Eve, as reported by sources and Greek media.

Her brother has made an appeal on Instagram, indicating that the family has had “no updates” concerning the 15-year-old or the three friends accompanying her, who are also reported missing.

Greek consular representatives state they are actively monitoring the situation.

Additional reporting by Nikos Papanikolaou and Isabella Bull