'Living a nightmare': Families of teens missing after ski resort fire desperate for news
Families are appealing for information about children as young as 15 who are thought to have been at the bar.
'Living a nightmare': Families of teens missing after ski resort fire desperate for news
39 minutes ago
Aleks Phillips
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The families of teenagers missing after a fire at a bar in a Swiss ski resort are facing an agonising wait for official news and appealing for information about their loved ones online.
The blaze ripped through Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, in the Alps in south-west Switzerland, in the early hours of New Year's Day. Verified images show the ceiling catching alight as bottles with sparklers are held aloft.
Swiss authorities have said it could take days if not weeks to identify the victims of the fire, which killed 40 people and injured another 119. Officials said on Friday that 113 of the injured had been identified, with authorities still working to identify the other six.
In the meantime, families and friends have been taking to social media to appeal for information about their loved ones who were at the bar that night.
Laetitia Brodard-Sitre/Facebook
Swiss national Arthur Brodard, 16, is among the missing
The whereabouts of Swiss national Arthur Brodard, 16, are currently unknown, his mother Laetitia said.
"I must find my son... it's been 30 hours since [he] disappeared," she told the BBC, adding that she wanted his photo "to be everywhere so that, just in case, someone recognises him, they can call me".
Ms Brodard said that she and Arthur's father had been checking hospitals in Lausanne and Bern, but could not find him, earlier telling local newspaper Le Temps that she was "living a nightmare."
Some of his friends had been found with burns covering nearly half their bodies, she told the newspaper. "There are no words - they went through hell."
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Achille Barosi was described by his aunt as an avid painter
Another missing Italian national is Achille Osvaldo Giovanni Barosi, 16, who entered the bar at 01:30 local time on New Year's Day to retrieve his jacket and phone. His family have not heard from him since.
"We don't know if he's still alive," his aunt Francesca told the BBC World Service's OS programme.
She described her nephew, who is enrolled in an art school in Milan, as a beautiful boy and an excellent painter.
"We just want to find him, and that's it."
The Italian foreign ministry has said six of its citizens remain missing.
Italian Golf Federation
Junior golfer Emanuele Galeppini, 16, was last heard from around midnight on New Year's Eve, according to his father
Among them is Emanuele Galeppini, a 16-year-old junior golfer, originally from Genoa but now living in Dubai.
The Italian Golf Federation has said he is dead, without mentioning the fire, paying tribute to a "young athlete who carried with him passion and authentic values".
His father, Edoardo, is quoted by Italian TV channel TG24 as saying his son was at the bar and was last heard from around midnight. An Italian foreign ministry spokesperson has told the BBC that it was not confirming the death yet.
Giovanni Tamburi, 16, is also among the missing. His mother, Carla Masiello, from Bologna, told La Repubblica that he had been on holiday with his father but had gone out with friends and ended up at La Constellation.
"A close friend of his told me they ran away after the fire broke out and that he had [his phone] with him, but then at a certain point he couldn't see him anymore," she told the newspaper, adding he had been wearing a gold chain with a small Madonna around his neck.
Tania Causio, one of his teachers at Porta Saragozza High School, told La Repubblica: "I've always been struck by his kindness and smile, coupled with great maturity. Every time I walk into class, he asks if I want him to go get me a coffee."
Lisa Pralong Elisabeth/Facebook
Family of Emilie Pralong face an "agonising" wait for information on the 22-year-old
Also reported missing by family members is Emilie Pralong, 22, who is thought to have been at Le Constellation with several friends who may also be missing.
Her grandfather, Pierre, described an "agonising" wait for information, telling French broadcaster BFMTV: "We always hope - we are full of hope. It helps to overcome whatever the hardship."
While he expressed optimism that she may turn up relatively unharmed in hospital, he said: "We have to be ready to accept a more difficult situation. We mustn't dream, we have to be realistic in the face of a tragedy like this."
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Dual national Alice Kallergis was also at the bar on New Year's Eve
Alice Kallergis, who holds dual Greek and Swiss nationality but lives permanently in Switzerland, was also at the bar on New Year's Eve, according to sources and reports in Greek media.
Her brother has posted an appeal on Instagram, saying the family has had "no news" regarding the 15-year-old or the three friends she was with and who are also reported missing.
Greek consular authorities say they are continuing to monitor the situation closely.
Additional reporting by Nikos Papanikolaou and Isabella Bull