Nestled in the central streets of Crans-Montana, Switzerland — a high-end resort town popular with wealthy tourists — Le Constellation was known as a more casual nightspot.
A big venue with live music and billiard tables, it served hot chocolate and other drinks at more affordable prices than the village’s upmarket nightspots. Unlike those, it didn’t charge an entrance fee, making it popular with teenagers and those in their early 20s. (The legal drinking age in Switzerland is 16 for beer and wine and 18 for high-proof alcohol.)
A downstairs area was often turned into a dance floor, where D.J.s performed. That was where many revelers in the ski resort town were ringing in the new year on Wednesday night before a deadly fire broke out.
The Swiss authorities have not publicly named any victims of the fire. But several of those missing are as young as 16, according to family members who have posted appeals on social media or spoken to news outlets.
The bar is not far from a gondola that whisks skiers up a mountain. Amin Momen, founder of Momentum Experiences, a London-based travel company, who has organized corporate ski events in Crans-Montana, said his clients often went there to watch sports.
François Barras, 73, a Swiss diplomat who grew up in Crans-Montana and moved back there in retirement, lives in an apartment directly across from Le Constellation. He said the bar was frequented by a younger crowd, mostly people in their late teens and early to mid-20s.
He knew the bar well, he said, because he had organized an event there several years ago. The downstairs area, he recalled, did not have windows, unlike the top floor.
Mr. Barras said he had not noticed that the commotion was anything different from a normal New Year’s Eve revelry until he was roused by sirens at 2 a.m. on Thursday.
“It’s a nightmare for the families,” he said. “There’s a contrast between the great weather and the festive atmosphere of a mountain and this tragedy,” he added.
Regulars at the bar say the victims of the fire might have struggled to escape its lower floor because there was only one exit. “It’s in the basement, there’s no emergency exit, and the only way out is the stairs,” said Noa Bourdin, 18, who arrived on the scene roughly half an hour after the fire began.
Jenny Gross contributed reporting.
Isabella Kwai is a Times reporter based in London, covering breaking news and other trends.
The post Le Constellation, Where Fire Hit, Was Popular With Young People appeared first on New York Times.
