Crans-Montana: mourners gather for mass in tribute to victims of bar fire in Switzerland

On the snow-covered street in front of Saint-Christophe Church, hundreds of people took part in a special Sunday mass for the victims of the fire which ravaged the Le Constellation bar on New Year’s Eve.

Many embraced each other, crying softly, remembering the dozens of dead and those still hospitalized with severe burns, fighting for their lives.

During the service, several people in the crowd fainted and fell to the ground, overwhelmed.

The 40 dead have now been identified, although they have not been named publicly. Their bodies are returned to their families, some of whom held out hope that their children might be found – injured, but alive.

Now they are receiving the worst possible news.

Since the fire, Laetitia Brodard has published photos of her teenage son Arthur on the Internet and called for help to find him. On Sunday, she was at the memorial service, comforted by friends.

“He died the first day,” Laetitia confirmed to me.

In an emotional statement on Facebook, she said Arthur had “gone to party in heaven”.

The bodies of the victims were so badly burned by the fire that it is difficult to identify them. Even some of those injured and hospitalized have not yet been named: they remain unconscious and unrecognizable.

For the dead, forensic pathologists must use DNA samples and dental records, and for families, the wait is agonizing.

The bar was full of young people that night, many of them teenagers. The legal drinking age in Switzerland is 16.

Some of the survivors joined a silent procession after Sunday mass from the church to the bar itself. Above, in the magnificent Swiss Alps, cable cars continued to ascend the mountain to transport ski tourists.

The site of the fire is still obscured by white plastic sheeting, but in front of it are piles of flowers and stuffed animals in an ever-growing sanctuary.

Among the bouquets are handwritten notes with names and photographs.

At one point, the crowd applauded: a large group of uniformed firefighters and rescue workers had arrived at the memorial and stood arm in arm, sobbing for those they had been unable to save.

For the people of Crantois, they are heroes.

The local fire commander – who was considering quitting his job after what he experienced here – told us that he and his colleagues were now one big family.

“I need them, and they need me,” David Vocat said, through tears. “All my thoughts are with the victims and their families. I am truly sorry.”

We spoke to teenagers who saw people fleeing the burning bar and described horrific scenes they say they can never forget.

A criminal investigation has now been opened. The bar’s owners, a French couple, are suspected of killing and causing arson and negligent bodily harm.

Police and prosecutors have reviewed footage filmed inside the Constellation that shows the moment the fire broke out, with bar workers carried on other people’s shoulders, delivering bottles of champagne with sparklers attached.

The sparks appeared to have ignited the ceiling, which was covered in foam for soundproofing, and the flames spread very quickly.

Investigators will examine whether the foam and other materials met safety standards.

They will look at possible overcrowding, access to emergency exits from the basement and whether there were fire extinguishers.

Some videos show teenagers desperately trying to put out the fire with their T-shirts. At first, many did not realize the immense danger and continued to dance and even film the fire, instead of fleeing.

On Sunday, a group of men – some with their faces covered in black scarves – formed a semi-circle in memory of a man killed in a bar locals call “Stefi”.

“We are here for our colleague,” said one of them, having difficulty speaking. “Stefi was his last path. May he now rest in peace.”

“It was important to be here, with the families. We can’t change things, we can only be here,” Diana said, after praying hand in hand with two other women for a group of friends still hospitalized.

“We just hope they succeed.”

“We’re not angry,” Diana told me. “But we believe the police will do their job well and we hope justice will be done.”