Teen describes 'terrible' scenes after Crans-Montana bar fire

Grief, anger and uncertainty are growing in Crans-Montana after a fire at the Le Constellation bar on New Year's Eve. Italian teenager Lupo Guagliumi said he left the basement bar just before the blaze because some friends wanted to go to another party, and returned to find a scene of horror.

"We saw terrible things… we saw flames. Unfortunately, bodies on the floor, people screaming and then police came," he told Sky News. He said he wanted to help but was ordered back by authorities, and called the experience traumatising as some friends were not answering their phones.

Guagliumi believes three friends are in intensive care, badly burned and in an induced coma, and at least five others are in hospital with lesser but still severe burns. "Some are lost, and we don't know where they are... maybe around 10-15 people," he said, describing the agony of not knowing whether loved ones have been identified or are in hospital.

The 15-year-old, who has holidayed with his family from Milan to the resort for the past decade, said the bar — where drinking is allowed from 16 and which is believed to have been packed with teenagers bringing in 2026 — felt safe the night before. He had shared a photo he took of sparklers in the basement bar; sparklers placed in champagne bottles too close to the ceiling are now being blamed for igniting the inferno.

Key Topics

Health, Crans-montana, Le Constellation, Lupo Guagliumi, Sparklers, Switzerland