Survivors of a devastating New Year's Eve fire at a Swiss ski resort are receiving critical care in specialist burns units scattered across Europe, as authorities face the grim task of identifying dozens of victims.
A Calamity of Unprecedented Proportions
The catastrophic blaze tore through the packed Constellation bar and basement nightclub in the upmarket resort of Crans-Montana. Approximately 40 people were killed and 115 injured in one of the worst tragedies to strike modern Switzerland.
Swiss President Guy Parmelin described the fire as "a calamity of unprecedented, terrifying proportions." He emphasised the human toll, stating, "Behind these figures are faces, names, families, lives brutally cut short, completely interrupted or for ever changed."
International Medical Response and Identification Challenge
Switzerland's advanced medical system was quickly overwhelmed. While over 30 patients were taken to specialised units in Zurich and Lausanne, and six to Geneva, many more required international assistance.
Patients were transported to burns units in Belgium, France, and Germany. The EU confirmed contact with Swiss authorities about providing medical aid. France's President Emmanuel Macron offered his country's help, with clinics in Paris and Lyon accepting patients. Sweden and North Macedonia also made hospital beds available.
Identification of the deceased is proving exceptionally difficult due to the severity of the victims' burns. Experts are using dental records and DNA samples in a process that could take days or weeks.
Mathias Reynard, head of the Valais canton government, explained the sensitivity: "All this work needs to be done because the information is so terrible and sensitive that nothing can be told to the families unless we are 100% sure." Crans-Montana's mayor, Nicolas Féraud, stated the primary objective was to "assign names to all the bodies."
Desperate Searches and Long Road to Recovery
Families and friends have launched frantic searches for missing loved ones, circulating photos on social media. The bar is now shrouded in white tarpaulins behind temporary barriers.
International victims include nationals from Italy, France, and Australia. Italy's ambassador, Gian Lorenzo Cornado, said six Italians remain missing, with 13 hospitalised. The French foreign ministry reported nine French citizens injured and eight unaccounted for.
Medical officials warned of a long and intense recovery for survivors. Claire Charmet, director of Lausanne's university hospital, which is treating 22 severely burned patients mostly aged 16 to 26, said: "We need to be aware that the treatment will be long and intense, lasting several weeks or even months."
The incident has sent shockwaves through the community and the international visitors to the renowned Alpine resort, with a coordinated European medical effort now underway to save lives.
