A footballer who suffered burns covering 30 per cent of his body after saving his girlfriend from a deadly nightclub fire in Switzerland has made his first public appearance since the incident. Tahirys Dos Santos, 19, a youth player for French club FC Metz, was caught in the blaze at Le Constellation nightclub in the ski resort town of Crans-Montana. The fire killed at least 41 people and injured 115 others, with 83 initially treated for severe burns.
Dos Santos ran back into the burning building to rescue his girlfriend, Coline, who was in the toilet. The couple later stepped out together for the first time since the tragedy to present an award at the UNFP Awards in Paris. Wearing matching black outfits, they showed off their scars, including burns on their hands and arms. The audience applauded as they presented France's Female Player of the Year award to Melchie Dumoray.
Details of the Fire
Witnesses reported that a waitress waved a sparkler in a champagne bottle while sitting on a colleague's shoulders, igniting the ceiling and setting the wood-panelled basement alight. The blaze spread in seconds, causing a stampede as more than 100 partygoers, mostly teens and young adults, fought to escape up a single narrow staircase. Swiss President Guy Parmelin described it as 'one of the worst tragedies our country has experienced'. Locals gave horrifying accounts of victims burning 'from head to foot' and bodies in the snow 'shirtless, disfigured, burned'. Police commander Frederic Gisler confirmed the fire started in the basement and there was a crush as people tried to flee.
Dos Santos's Account
From his hospital bed, Dos Santos told Paris Match how he saved Coline. 'We went downstairs because Coline had to go to the toilet,' he said. 'So I went with her and took the opportunity to go to the toilet too. It all happened very quickly, I didn't really think about it. I went straight to Coline, called her, she was in the toilet and we ran up the stairs.' He ended up sitting in the bar upstairs with severe burns before being airlifted to hospital.
His agent, Christophe Hutteau, provided more detail, stating that Dos Santos was transferred to a specialised burns centre in Stuttgart, Germany. 'The latest news I received was from Tahirys's parents, who drove all night to be by their son's side. I can't tell you he's doing well because he's in terrible pain. He has burns covering 30 per cent of his body. The positive point is that his lungs, which were also affected, have improved considerably.'
Dos Santos returned to action for Metz in April and recently signed his first professional contract with the club.
