“I don’t sleep,” said Laetitia Brodard-Sitre after her son Arthur’s disappearance

Laetitia Brodard-Sitre holds a phone displaying her social media post about her 16-year-old son Arthur, who went missing after a fire and explosion at the "Le Constellation" bar during a New Year's Eve party where people died and others were injured, in the upscale ski resort of Crans-Montana in southwestern Switzerland, January 2, 2026.

Laetitia Brodard-Sitre holds a phone displaying her social media post about her 16-year-old son Arthur, who went missing after a fire and explosion at the “Le Constellation” bar during a New Year’s Eve party where people died and others were injured, in the upscale ski resort of Crans-Montana in southwestern Switzerland, January 2, 2026.Credit : REUTERS/Noemie Olive

A mom is searching for her son, who has been missing since he attended the ski resort bar that went up in flames during New Year’s Eve celebrations.

Police said the fatal incident occurred at the Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, at about 1:30 a.m. local time on Thursday, Jan. 1.

Laetitia Brodard-Sitre told Reuters that her son Arthur is among those unaccounted for after the blaze, which killed at least 40 people and injured 119, according to CNN.

The mom said her son had “reserved a big table with his friends” to celebrate his 17th birthday before heading to Le Constellation for New Year’s Eve.

Arthur sent a text message to his mom just after midnight on New Year’s Day, saying, “Happy New Year, Mum, I love you.” She has not heard from him since.

“We are together, we are in shock, we take each other in our arms and we cry,” the mom said of relatives and others whose loved ones are missing, Reuters reported. “We try to give each other hope.”

She has since visited Sion hospital, but did not find her son there, according to Reuters, per CNN.

The mom has reportedly provided a DNA sample in hopes of finding him among the severe burn victims, many of whom had not been identified.

“I don’t sleep,” Brodard-Sitre said while standing near the scene of the fire. “The only thing I find comforting is to know that I am here, that I am close by, and as soon as I find my son, I will be by his side truly.”

She added, “But while waiting for that, I am here. I am by his side here. I can’t see myself anywhere else. As long as I’m in Crans-Montana, I’m close to Le Constellation.”

Authorities believe sparklers placed in champagne bottles were likely the cause of the blaze, according to CNN and the BBC.

“From that, a blaze began very quickly,” said Valais Attorney General Beatrice Pilloud at a press conference.