Swiss ski resort fire leaves desperate families waiting for news as authorities work to identify victims

Crans-Montana, Switzerland — In silence and candlelight, residents and visitors to the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana were still in shock on Friday, mourning the number of people who died at the resort. the fiery one that broke through the famous bar in the early hours of New Year’s Day.

Most of the dead were young people celebrating the holiday, and the intensity of the deadly fire has left authorities with the daunting task of identifying charred remains, which they say could take days, as desperate families wait to hear about their missing loved ones.

Swiss police said around 40 people were killed and at least 115 others were injured, most of them seriously. The Italian ambassador in Switzerland said that the number of dead in this area, popular with Italians, was at least 47.

A video has emerged showing when a man tried but failed to put out the first flame with a white cloth under the Le Constellation bar. The fire swept upwards, until it reached the upper level of the building.

In videos posted on social media, people can be heard crying as dozens run to escape the narrow exits. Many suffered horrendous burns and smoke inhalation, and scores remained in hospital on Friday across the country, as well as in neighboring France, Italy and Germany.

36 hours after the disaster, which authorities say appears to have been an accident, at least a dozen people are still missing.

The bar’s facade was hidden Friday behind a white barrier.

One survivor said the bar staff accidentally started the fire.

“One woman is riding on another woman’s shoulders with two bottles and birthday glitter,” said 16-year-old French tourist Axel Cavalier. “He lifted them up, they hit the ceiling and caught fire.”

Lucas Rebot, 24, told CBS News that he and his girlfriend tried to enter Le Constellation at 1 a.m., about 30 minutes before the fire started, but were told the place was full and were turned away. He said he had been in the bar a few days ago and noticed then that the ceiling was covered in foam, “like a music studio.”

CBS News’ partner network BBC News and France’s BFM TV published images Friday that they said showed the sound of the explosion on the roof over people holding shiny objects, as described by witnesses.

Other witnesses provided similar information, although authorities said there were no signs of an attack or explosion, and the cause of the fire was still under investigation.

“At the moment there is no question of any kind of attack,” said Beatrice Pilloud, the attorney general of the Valais Canton of Switzerland, on Thursday, adding later that it was not clear how many people were in the bar at the time of the fire, but that its size could be one of the factors considered as part of the investigation.

“At the moment we do not have any suspects,” he said when asked if anyone has been arrested. “An investigation has been opened, not against anyone, but to better understand the circumstances of this intense fire.”

Meanwhile, forensic experts have begun using dental records and DNA to identify the dead.

Clavier said one of his friends died in the fire and two or three others were still listed as missing.

“The first objective is to give names to all the bodies,” Crans-Montana mayor Nicolas Feraud said on Thursday, adding that it could take days.

Mathias Reynard, head of the Valais regional government, said it was important to do this work “because the information is so bad and sensitive that nothing can be told to the families unless we are 100 percent sure.”

One of the first victims identified was promising young Italian golfer Emanuele Galeppini, who was mourned by the Italian Golf Federation in a statement released Thursday as “a young athlete who shows true passion and values.”

Crans-Montana is a popular ski resort, but is also an international golf destination in the warmer months.

Italian company SportMedia said Galeppini, who hails from Genoa, was 16 years old. It said the father is in Crans-Montana and spent much of Thursday searching for information about his missing son.