'Living a Nightmare': Relatives of Missing Young People Desperately Seek Answers After Ski Resort Inferno
The loved ones of young people missing after a deadly blaze at a bar in a Swiss alpine town are confronting an excruciating wait for answers and pleading for information about their children online.
The inferno devastated the a popular bar in the alpine resort, located in the Alps of the Valais region, in the small hours of the first day of the year. Verified images reveal the ceiling igniting as bottles with fireworks are held aloft.
Emergency services have indicated that it could take considerable time to formally name the victims of the tragedy, which claimed the lives of numerous partygoers and wounded another scores more. Officials said on the latest update that 113 of the injured have been accounted for, with efforts continuing to name the remaining few.
In the meantime, families and friends have been taking to online platforms to request clues about their loved ones who were in attendance that fateful night.
Heartbreaking Pleas for the Missing
The whereabouts of teenager from Switzerland Arthur Brodard, sixteen, are currently unknown, according to an public plea from his family.
The who lives of Lutry near the city, informed a publication that she had returned to the city to see if he was in the medical facility, while his other parent did the equivalent search in the capital, but did not locate him.
"This is a living nightmare, a nightmare. Either I find my son in the morgue, or I find him in intensive care. It's horrific," she told the paper.
She explained that some of his friends had been located with burns covering nearly half their bodies. "It's indescribable; they endured an absolute nightmare."
The Italian government has indicated that six of its nationals are still unaccounted for.
One of those is Emanuele Galeppini, a teenage junior golfer, originally from Genoa but now residing in the UAE.
The Italian Golf Federation has stated that he is dead, without mentioning the fire, honoring a "talented young man who represented passion and true sportsmanship."
His parent, is quoted as saying that his son was at the bar and was last heard from around the new year. An official spokesperson has stated that a formal confirmation of his death is not yet.
Other Cases
Giovanni Tamburi, 16, is likewise unaccounted for. His parent explained that he had been on holiday but had gone out with a group and found himself at the venue.
"Someone with him said they escaped after the fire started and that he had his phone with him, but then at a specific moment he couldn't see him anymore," she said, adding he had been wearing a identifiable gold chain.
One of his teachers said, "I've always been struck by his good nature and smile, coupled with great maturity. Often ask if help out."
Alice Kallergis, who holds both Swiss and Greek nationality but lives permanently in Switzerland, was also present on that night, according to reports.
Her brother has shared an urgent request online, saying the family has had "no news" regarding the 15-year-old or the group she was with, who are also reported missing.
Officials from her country of origin say they are actively engaged with the situation.