New photos have emerged from the deadly New Year’s Eve incident at a ski resort in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, showing the moment the ceiling of a bar caught fire.The images circulating online and reviewed by the BBC show burning sparklers attached to bottles at Le Constellation nightclub and have been shared with claims they were taken around the moment the fire broke out.
In one of the photos, people are seen holding up several bottles of lit sparklers while what appears to be flames on the ceiling above them.A second image shows a person in a sleeveless black dress and a crash helmet holding a bottle with a lit sparkler and sitting on the shoulders of a person wearing a mask.The fire broke out in the crowded bar during New Year’s Eve celebrations, killing at least 40 people and injuring 115 others. Videos shared on social media show the intensity of the fire inside the venue. Some footage shows people trapped and panicking as the exit was blocked by the spreading fire.Also read | Tragedy in Swiss ski resort: Video shows moment New Year’s fire broke out – what caused the fireSwiss President Guy Parmelin called the incident “one of the worst tragedies” the country has ever experienced. He said the identification of the victims must be completed as quickly as possible, but stressed that the process was “extremely difficult work” and “something that will take a long time.”Beatrice Pilloud, attorney general for the canton of Valais, said: “At the moment we are in favor of a fire and there is no talk of an attack at any time,” adding that she could not provide further details out of respect for the families. Police have confirmed that the incident is not being classified as terrorist-related.Le Constellation is located on the ground floor of a residential building and can accommodate 300 people, with room for another 40 on the terrace, according to Crans-Montana’s website. Several witnesses said the basement event room where the fire is believed to have started was only connected to the ground floor by a staircase, which some described as “narrow.”As investigations continue, fears remain that an Italian teenager was among those who lost their lives in the tragedy.
