'Living a Nightmare': Families of Unaccounted For Teens Desperately Seek Information After Ski Resort Fire
The relatives of young people lost after a deadly inferno at a bar in a Swiss alpine town are facing an excruciating wait for official news and appealing for information about their children online.
The inferno engulfed the a popular bar in the alpine resort, located in the Swiss Alps of the Valais region, in the middle of the night of New Year's Day. Circulated images depict the ceiling igniting as bottles with fireworks are held aloft.
Emergency services have indicated that it could take days if not weeks to identify the victims of the fire, which killed numerous partygoers and wounded another scores more. A spokesperson noted on Friday that 113 of the injured have been identified, with work still underway to identify the final individuals.
In the meantime, relatives have been using online platforms to appeal for information about their friends who were in attendance that night.
Heartbreaking Pleas for the Unaccounted For
The location of teenager from Switzerland Arthur Brodard, 16, are still unconfirmed, according to an appeal from his mother.
The who lives of Lutry near Lausanne, told a publication that she had returned to the city to check whether he was in the hospital, while his father did the same in the capital, but could not find him.
"I'm living a nightmare, an ordeal. Either I find my son in the morgue, or I find him in a serious state. It's terrible," she told the paper.
She added that some of his peers had been found with injuries covering nearly half their bodies. "It's unspeakable; they endured hell."
The Italian government has indicated that a number of of its young people are still unaccounted for.
Included in that group is Emanuele Galeppini, a 16-year-old sportsman, originally from Genoa but now living in Dubai.
The Italian Golf Federation has released a tribute that he is no longer with us, without mentioning the fire, honoring a "young athlete who carried with him dedication and true sportsmanship."
His father, is quoted as saying that his son was at the bar and was last heard from around the new year. An representative has clarified that a formal confirmation of his death is not yet.
Further Missing Individuals
Giovanni Tamburi, sixteen, is also among the missing. His mother told reporters that he had been on holiday but had ventured out with a group and ended up at the venue.
"A close friend informed me they escaped after the fire broke out and that he had his mobile with him, but then at a certain point he lost sight of him," she said, adding he had been wearing a identifiable piece of jewelry.
One of his educators said, "He was known for his kindness and smile, coupled with great maturity. Every time offer to get me a coffee."
Alice Kallergis, who holds dual Greek and Swiss citizenship but lives permanently in Switzerland, was also at the bar on New Year's Eve, according to sources.
Her brother has shared an urgent request on social media, saying the relatives has had "no news" regarding the teenager or the group she was with, who are also unaccounted for.
Officials from her other nation say they are actively engaged with the case.