Australians caught up in a devastating New Year's Eve fire at a popular Swiss ski resort bar are sharing their grief and trauma, as the death toll rises to 40 with 119 injured.
Australians Grapple with Loss and Agonising Wait
The fire broke out at the Le Constellation bar in the upmarket resort of Crans-Montana during celebrations. With Switzerland's drinking age set at 16, the venue was packed with a young crowd, meaning many of the victims were teenagers and young adults.
One Australian girl, laying flowers at a makeshift memorial, told reporters of her shock. "I had two friends that were there," she said. "One, we learnt today, is dead. I'm shocked. I can't really imagine that she's really gone." She is still waiting for news on whether her second friend survived.
Another Australian, Yaron Lavy, whose family moved to Switzerland six years ago, narrowly avoided the tragedy. He had been invited to join friends at the bar but declined their invitation for the table they had booked. Upon hearing the news, he rushed to the scene.
"I was just standing in front of the tape. Shocked, traumatised. Just hoping for my friends to come out alive," Lavy told 7NEWS. "I couldn't move, I just couldn't feel anything in my body anymore."
He described one missing friend, his sister's best friend, as being "full of joy" and recalled her 16th birthday celebration. Like many others, he is now in an agonising limbo, with victims scattered across multiple hospitals. "I'd just like to hear ... just something, just a small piece of information," he pleaded.
Survivors Recount 'Hell' and Narrow Escape
Eyewitness accounts from those who escaped paint a picture of sheer chaos and horror. Ebenezer Mehari, 17, was outside the bar taking a break when the fire started.
"I heard a big boom, and everybody was screaming," he said, describing the moment "hell" erupted. Thick, blinding smoke filled the venue as people stampeded for the exits. Mehari fell in the crush before a stranger pulled him to safety.
"I have four friends who died," he stated, still struggling to process the loss. "For me, it's not real." He recounted seeing a school acquaintance disfigured and burning, and others with their hair and clothes burned away. "Somebody was dying in front of me and I couldn't do anything," he said.
Another 17-year-old survivor, Laetitia Place, described a desperate scramble through a narrow exit. "There's the small door where everyone was pushing, and so we all fell," she said. "We were piled on top of each other, some people were burning, and some were dead next to us."
Place spoke of the collective terror and the horrific scenes that will haunt those who made it out. "We all saw really horrible things that no one should ever have to see."
Aftermath and Ongoing Response
The scale of the tragedy has overwhelmed local emergency services. Authorities have urged concerned families and friends to stay away from hospital emergency departments to allow medical staff to focus on the critical task of treating the injured.
Mental health support is being offered to survivors like Mehari, who was treated at a hospital in Sion. "I tried to sleep, but I can't," he admitted, highlighting the deep psychological impact of the event.
As the Swiss authorities continue their investigation into the cause of the blaze, the international community, including Australians living abroad and at home, is united in mourning the young lives lost in the Crans-Montana fire.
