We keep getting updates from the tragic incident that devastated the Le Constellation bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana, where about 40 people died and roughly 115 were injured. Now, officials say many of the wounded remain in life-threatening condition, with several suffering severe burns and respiratory damage.
"I think a large number of the injured, maybe between 80 and 100, are in a life-threatening condition," Stéphane Ganzer, a regional health and safety official, said on Friday (via The Guardian). "When 15% or more of an adult's body has third-degree burns, there is a risk of death in the days and hours that follow."
Dental records and DNA samples
Authorities are using dental records and DNA samples to carry out the "terrible and sensitive" task of identifying the badly burned bodies, while stressing that nothing can be confirmed to families until identifications are certain.
The victims are believed to be of multiple nationalities. Italy has confirmed several nationals among the injured and missing, including 16-year-old Italian golfer Emanuele Galeppini, named as the first confirmed victim. France has reported nine of its citizens injured and eight missing. Some of the injured are being treated in hospitals across France, Germany, and Poland.
<social>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h69jtfFYfRU</social>
Witnesses and social media footage point to a "show" involving sparklers or flares placed in champagne bottles as the likely trigger for the blaze, as you can see in the photo and video above. Officials are also examining whether the bar's basement ceiling, possibly made of combustible insulation or cladding, met safety standards.
The owners of the bar, French nationals Jacques and Jessica Moretti, have not been reached since the tragedy. Locals and tourists have gathered to pay respects, leaving flowers and candles at the scene. Swiss President Guy Parmelin declared five days of national mourning for what he described as one of the worst tragedies our country has ever known.