Tahirys Dos Santos, a youth player for FC Metz who rescued his girlfriend from a fire at Le Constellation nightclub in Switzerland, appeared publicly at a football awards event. The blaze killed 41 people, with both Dos Santos and his girlfriend sustaining severe burns. The fire likely started from a sparkler ignition, trapping over 100 young partygoers in the club's wooden basement.
A French youth footballer who suffered burns on 30 percent of his body in a deadly nightclub fire in Switzerland made his first public appearance at a football awards ceremony alongside his girlfriend, who he bravely rescued from the blaze.
The fire at Le Constellation nightclub in the ski resort town of Crans-Montana claimed at least 41 lives, with 115 injured and 83 treated for severe burns. Tahirys Dos Santos, a 19-year-old midfielder for FC Metz, was among the victims. According to reports, Dos Santos ran back into the burning club to save his girlfriend, Coline, as flames engulfed the venue. Both survived but sustained significant injuries, including visible burns on their hands and arms.
They stepped out publicly for the first time since the incident at the UNFP Awards in Paris, where they presented France’s Female Player of the Year award to Melchie Dumoray. Eyewitnesses described the fire as starting when a waitress ignited a sparkler in a champagne bottle while perched on a colleague’s shoulders, accidentally setting the wooden ceilings ablaze.
The flames spread rapidly, trapping over 100 mostly young partygoers inside the club’s basement, with a narrow staircase being the only escape route. The Swiss president called the disaster one of the worst in the nation’s history, while locals recounted harrowing scenes of victims covered in burns, some lying shirtless in the snow. Investigators confirmed the fire began in the basement and noted an impossible crush as panicked patrons tried to escape.
While authorities did not officially confirm the cause, survivor accounts and video footage strongly suggested the sparkler was the ignition source. Social media footage later showed similar sparkler displays at past events at Le Constellation, where crowds often gathered. Dos Santos, speaking from his hospital bed, recounted how he and Coline had gone to the lower level of the club when the fire broke out.
He rushed to find her in the bathroom, and they tried to flee up the stairs as the flames consumed the wooden structure. He suffered severe burns and was later airlifted to a specialized burns unit in Germany, where doctors noted significant improvement in his lung condition. His agent confirmed the pain he endured due to the extent of his injuries, though his parents were said to be by his side after driving through the night to reach him.
The teenager had recently signed his first professional contract with FC Metz and only returned to playing in April. A bus driver in the area criticized the use of sparklers, calling them banned in many clubs and lamenting that they should never be permitted in crowds. The incident has sparked discussions about safety regulations and risk management in nightlife venues across Europe
Fire Nightclub Disaster Football Player Rescue Safety Regulations
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