Several hours after the disaster, there is a strange atmosphere in Crans-Montana. While the area around Le Constellation bar is widely cordoned off and closed off, life in the rest of the town continues as normal.
What is the cause of the fire in Crans-Montana?
How many people died in this tragedy?
Was the fire a terrorist attack?
When did the fire at Le Constellation bar break out?
The tragedy that befell this exclusive resort on New Year's Eve is difficult to understand. It will remain forever in the memory of the inhabitants of Crans-Montana, the canton of Valais and all of Switzerland.
At around 1:30 a.m., a fire broke out in a bar in the center of the town. Nobody knows exactly what happened. “It was probably not a terrorist attack, just an accident,” the attorney general of the canton of Valais said on Thursday morning.
“True Horror”
Edward, a tourist from England, tells Blick: – It's unbelievable, young people wanted to welcome the new year, and now so many of them are dead.
Right next to it, a young woman with two children is heading towards the ski lift. “I haven't heard anything about it,” she says. In Crans-Montana, shock and normality mix.
Anyone wishing to enter the exclusion zone around Le Constellation can only do so if accompanied by police. Police screens block the view of the bar from the street.
In the afternoon, several caravans approach it. The scenery looks like it's from another world.
One can only guess what happened inside. Sebastian Rapp from Crans-Montana was playing right next to Le Constellation when he heard the explosion. Apparently there was a phenomenon known as flashover [jednoczesnego zapłonu wszystkich znajdujących się w pomieszczeniu materiałów palnych z powodu gwałtownego wzrostu temperatury wywołanej pojawieniem się ognia]which caused one or more explosions, authorities explain.
— I ran outside, it was a real horror. I saw dead people and people with their hair on fire,” Rapp says. People tried to get out of the building in panic. “The exit was just too small,” says the young man. He recalls seeing people tearing off their burned clothes.
Rapp believes many of the dead and injured include young people. The bar was very popular with teenagers. “What happened is unimaginable,” says the 21-year-old.
So far, none of Rapp's friends are among the confirmed victims of the tragedy. “But I heard that one of the waitresses I knew died,” he says sadly.
“I understand the situation, but I live here.”
At this time, no one knows how long it will take to determine the cause of the fire. — We're at the very beginning [śledztwa] said the Attorney General of the Canton of Valais. Specialists from Zurich are supporting the authorities of the canton of Valais in their investigation.
Meanwhile, life in Crans-Montana goes on. A woman discusses with police officers in a restricted zone. I want to go home with my shopping. “I understand the situation, but I live here,” he tells the officers.
It seems that not everyone is yet aware that one of the greatest tragedies in recent Swiss history took place in the exclusive resort of Crans-Montana.
