The parents of Cyane Panine, the young waitress infamously dubbed 'the girl in the helmet' following the catastrophic Swiss bar fire, have broken their silence to vehemently reject any implication that their daughter bears responsibility for the tragedy. Jerome and Astrid Panine have spoken exclusively to the Daily Mail, describing how the suggestion their daughter was somehow at fault for the inferno that claimed 40 lives and injured over a hundred others is compounding their family's profound and unending grief.
A Night of Celebration Turns to Disaster
Footage from the fateful evening at Le Constellation bar in the upscale Alpine resort of Crans-Montana shows 24-year-old Cyane, a French national working as a waitress, wearing a crash helmet. She is perched on the shoulders of a colleague, clutching bottles of champagne that were plugged with lit sparklers. It is widely believed by investigators that these sparklers ignited highly flammable soundproofing foam on the ceiling of the venue.
Her parents are adamant that Cyane was simply following instructions. They state she was acting on the direct orders of one of the bar's owners to 'get the atmosphere going' during a busy night. This crucial context, they argue, is being lost amidst the horrifying imagery and the rush to assign blame.
Reclaiming a Daughter's Memory
In their emotional interview, Jerome and Astrid expressed a desperate desire to reclaim their daughter's memory from the narrative of the disaster. They wish for Cyane to be remembered not as a 'poster girl for a disaster', but as the vibrant young woman she was—someone who 'shone and captivated' those around her.
'She trusted people and paid the ultimate price,' they told the Mail, highlighting the tragic obedience that placed her at the centre of the incident. The bar's owners are currently under criminal investigation in Switzerland regarding the fire, which has raised serious questions about safety standards and oversight at the establishment.
The family's intervention comes as the legal and investigative processes continue, with the hope of shifting the focus from their daughter to the broader systemic failures that allowed such a tragedy to occur.
