ZAKA International Rescue and Recovery Director-General Baruck Niddam is no stranger to disaster sites, but after the New Year’s Eve fire in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, he was forced to render aid while being confronted with the loss of a cousin in the bar blaze.
Niddam has coordinated teams in more than 60 countries over his 11-year tenure, and he joins most ZAKA delegations, but he told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday that he “felt a personal obligation” to participate in commanding the major operation of identification and recovery of the deceased from the Constellation fire when his 15-year-old relative Charlotte Niddam was missing.
“It’s not easy,” said Niddam. “It’s true that we are organized for disaster. Unfortunately, I go from disaster to disaster around the world, but when I think back, I’m not going to tell you that there weren’t moments of breaking down in this job, in this mission.
“There are moments when you break down at the passing of children. We all have children at those ages as well. So when you think about what could happen, then you definitely break down.
There are moments that are difficult to manage. But then, like every volunteer, I catch myself closing myself off with the strength that I receive for this mission from above, from what I believe in – that I am doing the right thing – to control myself and return to command this complex event.”
He felt he needed to join the operation due to his experience with authorities in Switzerland and networks of contacts at Swiss forensic institutions.
Some, such as Prof. Tony Fracasso, had volunteered in Israel in the wake of the October 7 massacre, giving Niddam the opportunity to return the favor. Acknowledging the strict Swiss disaster protocols, the ZAKA logistics team established a base of operations and met with the local police and mayor.
They created lists of who was at the club – employees and guests – who had already been identified, and who was known to be missing. Then, said Niddam, came the hardest work: the mapping.
They documented possible escape routes, where people thought they could hide or get away. This meant getting inside their heads. He thought about Charlotte and how she encountered flames in a place without proper escape routes.
“You go to the top of a building and try to think where you would have escaped if this had happened to you,” said Niddam. “Then we search the area. The search radius focuses on these places, and after that, together, the police can close the scene.”
ZAKA has experience in identifying bodies without autopsies, which are difficult to obtain permission for in Switzerland. The Swiss authorities reportedly appreciated the aid that Niddam’s crew provided with diagnostic and identification skills. He said that he appreciated the opportunity to participate.
Forty fatalities in New Year blaze
Israeli, French, and British citizen Charlotte Niddam was one of the last of the 40 fatalities to be identified on Sunday, according to ZAKA and Swiss police. Two Swiss Jewish sisters, Alicia and Diana Gunst, 15 and 14, respectively, were identified the same day.
“It is very difficult, not only for the family, but also for the entire Jewish community,” said Niddam. “Not only will it be remembered for generations, but it is a blow that is very, very difficult to deal with.
In the end, people from the Jewish community, 15-year-old children, at very, very young ages, went out at the beginning of the civil year to celebrate, to rejoice a little, to return home, but Charlotte was lost.”
Some 116 people were injured in the incident, according to the Valais canton police. Eighty-three were still hospitalized as of Monday. Their injuries were not simple, said Niddam, who had visited the hospital and met several families. He asked that they be kept in mind.
The authorities were still investigating the fire, said Niddam, and while the results could not fully comfort a mourning family, answers were necessary to ensure that such a tragedy would not occur again.
“Why were young people even allowed to participate in the event? Were there enough escape routes? How many people were there at the time? Questions that the owners will still have to answer, and we are still dealing with the details of the investigation,” said Niddam.
The police said on Sunday that a criminal investigation had been opened into two bar managers, who were charged with negligence. Law enforcement reported that the fire started with sparklers, and the investigation was examining materials at the site, emergency routes, available firefighting tools, and compliance with safety standards.
The week was difficult for Niddam, but on Monday morning, he was still satisfied that he went to help. His Swiss counterparts reportedly appreciated the assistance and marveled at how Israelis were there to help one another, even to provide final rites in distant lands.