US EditionWhat Images and Videos Tell Us About Why Swiss Bar Fire Spread so Quickly
Investigations continue into a flashover that caused about 40 deaths and 115 injuries during New Year's Eve at a bar where sparklers near a wooden ceiling ignited the blaze.
- Around 1:30am on January 1, the Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana was engulfed by fire, Swiss authorities said, killing about 40 and injuring 115 after a flashover.
- Survivors and eyewitnesses told broadcasters that sparklers on champagne bottles were waved near the wooden ceiling, with one saying, `There were waitresses carrying champagne bottles with sparklers on them, and they carried them close to the ceiling, which caused it to catch fire.`
- Philipp Simmen of Switzerland's air-rescue service said burn survivors were moved to specialised clinics, with 22 patients taken so far and many young victims aged between 16 and 26 transferred to Lausanne University Hospital.
- Swiss President Guy Parmelin described the blaze as one of the country's worst tragedies and declared five days of mourning, while Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani reported 16 Italians missing and 12 hospitalized.
- Authorities say investigations are ongoing and have so far ruled out arson or terrorism after the fire erupted shortly after 1.30am, while officials expect foreign nationals among the deceased, complicating consular work.
78 Articles
78 Articles
Crans-Montana, Switzerland.- When Bruno Martins went to the streets of his Swiss mountain village after midnight on New Year’s Day, he hoped to meet with old friends who were celebrating in one of his favorite places. Instead, Martins, 17, arrived at Le Constellation, a two-storey bar popular among the youngest residents of the town, and found him on fire and surrounded by police officers. He said there was a tumult of people trying to escape th…
Sky News UK
Great Yorkshire RadioSwiss bar fire: 'We saw terrible things - it could have happened to me'
Lupo Guagliumi was in Le Constellation bar on New Year's Eve, leaving just before the fire broke out and killed dozens of people. Like so many who were there, he is still waiting to hear about the fate of some of his friends.
Swiss ski resort bar fire: Sparkler candles on Champagne bottles suspected to have triggered deadly New Year’s Eve blaze
Swiss authorities are probing possible negligence after sparkling candles placed near the ceiling are suspected to have caused one of the deadliest fires in the country’s history, with safety compliance and potential criminal liability now under investigation.
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