The true horror of the New Year inferno which tore through Le Constellation bar was last night sinking home as more videos and photos of the early moments of the conflagration emerged.
The resort of Crans-Montana yesterday lay blanketed in sorrow – any trace of a holiday atmosphere obliterated, with the ski runs closed as a mark of respect and nearly all restaurants and bars shuttered.
Yet not far away, for others, holidays continued at other ski centres, underlining the Swiss economy’s reliance on tourism.
While desperate families prayed for news, the head of tourism for the wider area pointed out that there were ‘two worlds’, as holidays continued in nearby resorts, despite the mournful atmosphere covering Crans-Montana.
Bruno Huggler, head of tourism for Valais, which includes Crans, told the BBC: ‘The shock is still very deep today.’
He said officials were trying to find the best way to maintain a ‘respectful atmosphere’ for families of the victims while allowing other guests to enjoy their holidays.
In Crans itself, visitors and locals, – whether directly affected or not – simply stood wrapped up against the sub-zero temperatures at the several stations set up as makeshift shrines with flowers, tributes and candles.
Most maintained a reverent silence.
How different was the mood barely a day earlier in moments caught on video from inside Le Constellation before the New Year revels turned to tragedy.
In one shocking clip, it’s clear that many of the youngsters were oblivious, at least initially, to the danger – even as the flames licked along the insulating foam covering the low-slung ceiling of Le Constellation with terrifying ferocity.
Yesterday, as the police cordon outside the bar was partially lifted, a sad procession of relatives and friends could be seen wandering outside searching desperately for news of loved ones, threading their way past clutches of the international media.
Relatives clinging to any last shreds of hope were also facing their worst fears and coming to terms with the fact that their children had almost certainly been cut down in their prime.
As the day wore on, it became clear that on this occasion, no news was inevitably bad news, as the grim task of trying to identify the more than 40 bodies – and even some of the 119 injured – continued.
One young mother, Laetitia Brodard-Sitre, 42, searched in vain for news of her eldest son, Arthur, aged 16.
She carried photos of him on her mobile phone and showed a poignant final message from him, sent from Le Constellation at midnight, wishing her ‘Happy New Year, mum’, to which she responded with her own greeting.
She has heard nothing from him since and by yesterday afternoon, had accepted that she never would.
She said Arthur and ten school friends had booked a table in Le Constellation to mark the start of 2026, but only one of them has been found.
She said: ‘He was looking forward to celebrating New Year’s Eve with his school friends at the resort and in this bar. They had made plans and reserved a table in advance.
‘Of the 11 people at that table only one has been found, and all the others are missing.
‘My son is alone in a hospital, if he’s alive. Even if he’s in a morgue, because by now you have to be able to think clearly after more than 30 hours, I don’t know which morgue, I can’t be by his side.’
Relatives may have to wait days or even weeks before receiving official news of the fate of their loved ones, because many of the bodies were so badly burned.
For Ms Bodard-Sitre and many more like her, it will prove a torturous wait.
