Swiss authorities have announced that the first four confirmed victims of the deadly New Year’s Day fire at the Le Constellation bar were two Swiss women aged 21 and 16, and two Swiss males aged 18 and 16.
The families of the 40 people believed to have been affected by the tragedy are enduring days of anguish, saying they have received no information about their loved ones in recent days.
“I am living a nightmare. Either I will find my son in the morgue, or in critical condition in hospital. It is horrific,” Laetitia Brodard-Sitre told the Swiss newspaper Le Temps, as she desperately searches hospitals for her 16-year-old son, Arthur.
The grandfather of 22-year-old Emilie Pralong said he hopes his granddaughter is in hospital and unharmed. “You always hope – we are full of hope,” he told BFMTV, adding that hope helps people endure the ordeal.
The first victim of the fire, according to reports, was Emanuele Galeppini, a teenage Italian golfer. His death has not yet been officially confirmed by Swiss authorities, but the Italian Golf Federation said he was among those who lost their lives.
Authorities have said that sparklers attached to champagne bottles are the most likely cause of the blaze, which also left 119 people injured.