Swiss Alpine town Thusis fire leaves five missing, eight injured
Five people are missing and eight others have been injured after a fire completely destroyed a building containing a restaurant and apartments in the Swiss town of Thusis. The Graubünden cantonal police said the blaze broke out on the second floor and that the cause remains under investigation.
The police were alerted just after midnight local time (22:00 GMT on Thursday). Nearly 100 firefighters responded to the scene. The roof had to be opened with a crane after the stairwell collapsed, hampering efforts and forcing firefighters to access the upper parts of the building from above.
According to police, fourteen people escaped the building on their own. Of these, two were seriously injured, two sustained moderate injuries, and four were slightly injured. The wounded were taken to hospitals in Chur, Thusis, Ilanz, and Zurich.
The search for the five missing people is ongoing. Firefighters and emergency personnel are carefully removing the roof layer by layer to reach the collapsed stairwell, where the missing persons are believed to be. A police spokesperson said that the operation could take days to complete.
In the event that human remains are found, DNA samples will be used for identification, the spokesperson told Swiss media. This is standard practice when victims are not immediately identifiable due to the effects of a fire.
Investigators from the cantonal police and the public prosecutor's office are working to establish the origin of the fire. In Switzerland, such investigations follow a meticulous process, with forensic examiners collecting evidence from the site. No details about the cause have been disclosed so far.
Thusis is a town in the Graubünden region of eastern Switzerland, an area also known as Grisons. The region is a popular holiday destination for both winter sports and summer nature activities, and Thusis lies on the route to several Alpine passes.
Police have confirmed that several foreign nationals were staying in the building at the time of the fire. Consular authorities have been informed, and the Swiss government is coordinating with them to provide assistance and information to the families of those affected. The nationalities of the missing and injured have not been officially released.
The fire has caused significant concern in the town, a small community in the Swiss Alps. The building, which served as both a commercial and residential space, has been completely destroyed, and the area around it remains cordoned off while the search and investigation continue.
Official updates are expected as new information becomes available. The authorities have urged the public not to speculate and to avoid spreading unverified information during this sensitive time.
