🔗 Share this article

The relatives of teenagers lost after a tragic blaze at a venue in a Swiss alpine town are confronting an agonising wait for answers and appealing for clues about their children online.

The fire ripped through the a popular bar in Cans-Montana, located in the mountains of south-west Switzerland, in the small hours of New Year's Day. Circulated footage reveal the ceiling igniting as beverages with sparklers are held aloft.

Emergency services have warned that it could take considerable time to identify the victims of the fire, which resulted in the death of numerous partygoers and hurt another over a hundred. Authorities noted on Friday that 113 of the injured have been accounted for, with the process still underway to name the other six.

In the meantime, relatives have been using the internet to appeal for information about their loved ones who were at the bar that night.

Desperate Searches for the Missing

The fate of teenager from Switzerland Arthur Brodard, a teenager, are currently unknown, according to an appeal from his parent.

The who lives of Lutry near Lausanne, explained to a local newspaper that she had returned to the city to see if he was in the hospital, while his father did the equivalent search in Bern, but was unsuccessful.

"I'm living a nightmare, a horror. The options are finding my son in the hospital mortuary, or I find him in a serious state. It's terrible," she told the paper.

She added that some of his peers had been located with injuries covering nearly half their bodies. "It's unspeakable; they experienced hell."

The Italy's foreign ministry has indicated that a number of of its nationals are still unaccounted for.

Among them is Emanuele Galeppini, a teenage junior golfer, who hailed from Genoa but now residing in the UAE.

The Italian Golf Federation has released a tribute that he is no longer with us, without directly referencing the tragedy, honoring a "talented young man who embodied dedication and true sportsmanship."

His parent, is quoted as saying that his son was at the bar and was last in contact around the new year. An representative has clarified that a official announcement of his death is not yet.

Further Cases

Giovanni Tamburi, sixteen, is likewise among the missing. His mother explained that he had been on vacation but had gone out with friends and ended up at the bar.

"A close friend said they ran away after the fire started and that he had his phone with him, but then at a certain point he they were separated," she explained, adding he had been wearing a identifiable piece of jewelry.

One of his educators commented, "I've always been struck by his kindness and positive demeanor, combined with great responsibility. He would frequently offer to help out."

Alice Kallergis, who holds both Swiss and Greek nationality but lives permanently in Switzerland, was also at the bar on New Year's Eve, according to media.

Her brother has shared an appeal online, saying the family has had "no updates" regarding the 15-year-old or the group she was with, who are also unaccounted for.

Officials from her country of origin say they are actively engaged with the case.