Photos show the trail of destruction in the aftermath of flooding in Kerr County, Texas

Days after flash floods killed over 100 people during the July Fourth weekend, search-and-rescue teams are using heavy equipment to untangle and peel away layers of trees, unearth large rocks in riverbanks and move massive piles of debris that stretch for miles in the search for the missing people.

This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.

A person searches under a damaged truck along the Guadalupe River after flooding in Kerrville, Texas on Wednesday , July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Kevin Scott shows a pair of shorts he found with "Heart of the Hills Camp" logo along the Guadalupe River after flooding in Kerrville, Texas on Wednesday , July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Crews work on the Cade Loop Bridge to clear debris following flooding Thursday, July 10, 2025, in Ingram, Texas. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

An American flag sits on a destroyed bridge over the Guadalupe River at Arcadia Loop and Bear Creek Road after flooding in Kerrville, Texas on Wednesday , July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

A boat and debris are stuck in damaged trees following flooding Thursday, July 10, 2025, in Ingram, Texas. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

This aerial photo shows damage from flash floods along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County, Texas, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Damage from recent flooding is visible Wednesday, July 9, 2025, at an RV park in Georgetown, Texas. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

This aerial photo shows damage from flash floods along the Guadalupe River in Hunt, Texas, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Volunteer Mario Rios, right, and a fellow volunteer, search along the bank of the river after flash floods along the Guadalupe River in Kerrville, Texas, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

This aerial photo shows damage from flash floods along the Guadalupe River in Ingram, Texas, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

A toy horse lies by a fallen tree limbs and debris in Kerrville, Texas, Wednesday, July 9, 2025, after flooding. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

This aerial photo shows damage to Camp Mystic from flash floods along the Guadalupe River in Hunt, Texas, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

A volunteer searches the banks of the river days after flash floods along the Guadalupe River in Kerrville, Texas, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

This aerial photo shows damage from flash floods along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County, Texas, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

A destroyed vehicle sits next to the Guadalupe River on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, in Hunt, Texas, after a flash flood swept through the area. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland (AP) — In the aftermath of a fire inside a Swiss Alpine bar that killed 40 people celebrating the new year, survivors, friends and family members, the region’s top authorities and even Pope Leo have spoken to the public in remarks in French, Italian, German and English, reflecting the tradition of Swiss multilingualism.

More than 100 people were injured in the blaze early Thursday as it ripped through the busy Le Constellation bar at the ski resort of Crans-Montana, authorities said. It was one of the deadliest tragedies in Switzerland’s history.

Investigators said Friday that they believe sparkling candles atop Champagne bottles ignited the fatal fire when they came too close to the ceiling of the crowded bar.

Here’s a look at what people said in the wake of the disaster:

— “I’m looking everywhere. The body of my son is somewhere,” Laetitia Brodard told reporters Friday in Crans-Montana as she searched for her son, 16-year-old Arthur. “I want to know where my child is and be by his side. Wherever that may be, be it in the intensive care unit or the morgue.”

— “We were bringing people out, people were collapsing. We were doing everything we could to save them, we helped as many as we could. We saw people screaming, running,” Marc-Antoine Chavanon, 14, told The Associated Press in Crans-Montana on Friday, recounting how he rushed to the bar to help the injured. “There was one of our friends: She was struggling to get out, she was all burned. You can’t imagine the pain I saw.”

— “It was hard to live through for everyone. Also, probably because everyone was asking themselves, ‘Was my child, my cousin, someone from the region at this party?’” Eric Bonvin, general director of the regional hospital in Sion that took in dozens of injured people, told AP on Friday. “This place was very well known as somewhere to celebrate the new year,” Bonvin said. “Also, seeing young people arrive — that’s always traumatic.”

— “I have seen horror, and I don’t know what else would be worse than this,” Gianni Campolo, a Swiss 19-year-old who was in Crans-Montana on vacation and rushed to the bar to help first responders, told France's TF1 television.

— “Despite the heavy smoke, I could see bodies pressed against the glass,” Gianni's father, Paolo Campolo, told French news broadcaster BFM TV as he explained how he found an emergency exit behind the bar. With another volunteer, he managed to open the glass door. “That’s when several bodies fell. We immediately pulled them out, one after the other. I think we had to pull out about ten bodies in total,” he said.

—“The priority today is truly placed on identification, in order to allow the families to begin their mourning,” Beatrice Pilloud, the Valais region's attorney general, told reporters Friday during a news conference in Sion.

Pope Leo said in a telegram Friday to the bishop of Sion that he " wishes to express his compassion and concern to the relatives of the victims. He prays that the Lord will welcome the deceased into His abode of peace and light, and will sustain the courage of those who suffer in their hearts or in their bodies.”

— “We have numerous accounts of heroic actions, one could say of very strong solidarity in the moment,” Cantonal head of government Mathias Reynard told RTS radio Friday. "In the first minutes, it was citizens — and in large part young people — who saved lives with their courage.”

— “Switzerland is a strong country not because it is sheltered from drama, but because it knows how to face them with courage and a spirit of mutual help," Swiss President Guy Parmelin, speaking on his first day in the position that changes hands annually, told reporters Thursday.

People bring flowers near the sealed off Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations. (AP Photo/ Antonio Calanni)

A woman holding a stuffed animal, whose daughter is missing, gather with others near the sealed-off Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner)

People light candles near the sealed off Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations. (AP Photo/ Antonio Calanni)