Families of missing teens desperately need news

Families of teenagers missing after a fire at a Swiss ski resort bar face an agonizing wait for news and launch an online appeal for information about their loved ones.

The Crans-Montana fire was probably caused by sparklers placed on champagne bottles “too close to the ceiling”, Swiss authorities said on Friday.

The investigation into the fire will focus on the materials used on site, the fire safety measures of the bar, its capacity and the number of people inside at the time, said the attorney general of Valais, Béatrice Pilloud.

Swiss authorities said it could take days or even weeks to identify victims of the fire, which killed 40 people and injured 119 others. Authorities said 113 of the injured had been identified, with authorities still working to identify the other six.

Meanwhile, families and friends took to social media to ask for information about their loved ones who were at the bar that evening.

Among the missing is a 15-year-old boy Charlotte Niddamformer student of schools in the United Kingdom.

The free Jewish school in north-west London called for “love and prayer”, saying Charlotte had been a student there for two years before her family returned to France.

“She is loved by so many within JFS and is friends with many in our community,” he added.

A statement from Immanuel College – a private Jewish school in Hertfordshire – widely reported in the British press, said his family had “asked that we keep them all in our thoughts and prayers during this extremely difficult time”.

He added: “We are all praying for a miracle for Charlotte and the others.”

The Crans-Montana tourist site lists her as a babysitter in the resort during school holidays.

The fate of the Swiss national Arthur Brodard16 years old, are currently unknown, said his mother Laetitia.

“I have to find my son… it’s been 30 hours since [he] missing,” she told the BBC, adding that she wanted his photo “to be everywhere so that in case anyone recognizes him, they can call me.”

Ms Brodard said she and Arthur’s father had checked hospitals in Lausanne and Bern but failed to find him, earlier telling local newspaper Le Temps that she was “living a nightmare”.

Some of her friends had been found with burns covering almost half their bodies, she told the newspaper. “There are no words, they went through hell.”

Another missing Italian national is Achille Osvaldo Giovanni Barosi16-year-old, who entered the bar at 1:30 a.m. local time on New Year’s Day to collect his jacket and phone. Since then, his family has not heard from him.

“We don’t know if he’s still alive,” his aunt Francesca told the BBC World Service’s OS programme.

She described her nephew, enrolled in an art school in Milan, as a handsome boy and an excellent painter.

“We just want to find him, and that’s it.”

The Italian Foreign Ministry said six of its citizens were still missing.

Among them is Emmanuel Galeppinia 16-year-old junior golfer, originally from Genoa but now living in Dubai.

The Italian Golf Federation announced his death, without mentioning the fire, paying tribute to a “young athlete who carried with him passion and authentic values”.

His father, Edoardo, was quoted by Italian television channel TG24 as saying that his son was at the bar and was last heard from around midnight. A spokesperson for the Italian Foreign Ministry told the BBC it was not yet confirming the death.

Giovanni Tamburi16 years old, is also one of the missing. His mother, Carla Masiello, from Bologna, told La Repubblica that he was on vacation with his father but had gone out with friends and ended up at La Constellation.

“One of his close friends told me that they had fled after the fire started and that he had [his phone] with him, but at some point he couldn’t see him anymore,” she told the newspaper, adding that he wore a gold chain with a small Madonna around his neck.

Tania Causio, one of his teachers at the Porta Saragozza high school, told La Repubblica: “I have always been struck by his kindness and his smile, combined with great maturity. Every time I enter class, he asks me if I want him to go get me a coffee.”

Family members also missing Emilie Pralong22 years old, who would have gone to Constellation with several friends who could also be missing.

His grandfather, Pierre, described an “agonizing” wait for information, telling French broadcaster BFMTV: “We always hope, we are full of hope. It helps to overcome difficulties, whatever the difficulties.”

While expressing optimism that she could end up relatively unharmed in hospital, he said: “We must be prepared to accept a more difficult situation. We must not dream, we must be realistic in the face of a tragedy like this.”

Alice Kallergiswho has dual Greek and Swiss citizenship 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 posted an appeal on Instagram, saying the family had “no news” of the 15-year-old girl or the three friends she was with who are also missing.

Greek consular authorities say they continue to monitor the situation closely.

Additional reporting by Nikos Papanikolaou and Isabella Bull