They stood arm in arm, hoping to take some strength from their comrades, but the tears flowed nonetheless.
Firefighters who braved the inferno at Le Constellation bar in the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana were spontaneously applauded by locals yesterday as they laid a wreath for the victims.
In a poignant ceremony, the group of around a dozen male and female ‘pompiers’, several weeping, paid their respects to those they couldn’t save, but the warmth of the greeting from bystanders was a grateful acknowledgement that they were able to rescue so many more.
One can only imagine the horrific scenes these first responders faced as they descended into the flames of the bar and brought young people with horrific burns out into the sub-zero temperatures of an Alpine night.
After one of their number laid a wreath, the firefighters gathered in a circle and said a quiet prayer.
In the hours and days since the tragedy, the tiny candles surrounded by flowers on the makeshift shrines near Le Constellation cast almost as much light as the Christmas decorations still bedecking the resort.
For days, loved ones and friends have congregated near the scene of the fire, showing photographs of the missing, hoping for news.
Despite a criminal investigation into the deaths being launched, Saturday was a time for reflection, and a sombre mood prevailed over the small wreath-laying ceremony, which was also attended by local dignitaries and Swiss justice minister Beat Jans.
A firefighter pays tribute to the victims of the deadly fire at the Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Switzerland
Firefighters who fought to save people from the blaze stand in silence outside the ski resort
Asked if the tragedy could have been avoided, Mr Jans said: ‘This is a question that we cannot answer at the moment.
‘The investigation is going on. We will clarify the responsibilities when we have the evidence. We know the world needs answers.’
He added: ‘Switzerland is deeply saddened. Switzerland will always remember the victims. May they rest in peace.
‘As a father of two daughters I can only imagine the immeasurable suffering they are going through. Our thoughts are with them, with the injured, their families and friends.
‘We wish you sincerely strength during this dark time.’
As the grim work of the forensic teams trying to identify charred bodies continued, many of the parents of the missing young people have had to come to terms with the fact their children are lost.
One such was Andrea Costanzo, father of 16-year-old Chiara, who admitted that he now accepted his daughter was dead.
He said that his family’s hopes were dashed on Friday morning, when they were informed that the only injured Italians still lying unidentified in hospital were all male.
Swiss justice minister Beat Jans (second from the right) looks at the tributes to the victims
Mourners hug alongside floral tributes to the victims of the fire near the bar in Crans-Montana
A handmade sign reads: ‘Compassion for the victims and their families, Rest in Peace, You are all our children’
‘By elimination, we are certain that Chiara is on another list, that of the victims. My beloved Chiara is no more,’ he added.
He described his daughter in heartfelt terms, but, for the first time, in the past tense: ‘She was only 16. She was an intelligent, cheerful, and empathetic girl. She loved simple fun and was excellent at school and dance. It will take several days for the official confirmation, due to the thorough DNA tests.’
He told the La Repubblica newspaper the family had been coming to Crans-Montana for years since his father bought a house there.
He recalled: ‘We’ve always come to town, and our children have cultivated their friendships since they were little.
‘This year, Chiara didn’t even want to come: she was planning on celebrating New Year’s Eve with a friend somewhere else, but there wasn’t room.’
Now he struggles with the guilt common to those in such tragedies, adding: ‘The night of the fire, I didn’t find her.
‘I drove up to the shop but couldn’t find her. I should have gone inside to look for her, but the firefighters wouldn’t let me in. I really wanted to…’
Chiara Costanzo (pictured) was named in the Italian press as a victim of the blaze on Saturday
As Mr Costanzo recalled his daughter in tender terms, his country’s deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini, 52, leader of the Right-wing populist Lega party, was more strident, demanding harsh consequences for those responsible for the tragedy.
In a lengthy social media post, he said: ‘In civilized Switzerland, prison doors will have to open for many people.’
He added: ‘The only ones responsible, the only ones with a dirty conscience, the only criminals are those who failed to ensure safety in this basement, those who failed to monitor, those who granted permits, those who, out of greed, crammed hundreds of young people into a basement – with open fires and failing emergency systems.’