Authorities in Switzerland have confirmed the identities of 16 additional victims from the catastrophic New Year’s fire at Le Constellation bar in the upscale ski resort of Crans-Montana. The latest identifications reveal the youngest victim was a 14-year-old Swiss girl, with nine of the deceased being under 18 years old. The multinational group includes citizens from Switzerland, Italy, Romania, Turkey, and France.
This development brings the total number of identified fatalities to 24, with eight Swiss victims having been identified and returned to their families on Saturday. All eight were aged between 16 and 24, according to official statements.
The death toll from the devastating incident stands at least 40 people, with an additional 119 injured. Many victims and those still considered missing are teenagers, reflecting the bar’s popularity with the resort’s younger crowd where the legal drinking age is 16.
A criminal investigation is underway targeting the bar’s French owners, identified in media reports as Jacques and Jessica Moretti. They face potential charges of manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence, and arson by negligence, according to the Valais regional prosecutor’s office.
Preliminary investigations indicate the fire likely originated from sparklers on bottles being carried too close to the ceiling during New Year’s celebrations. Video evidence from inside the venue appears to capture the moment the ceiling covering ignited.
Lead prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud confirmed investigators are examining whether the acoustic foam installed on the ceiling was compliant with regulations and potentially contributed to the rapid spread of flames.
The identification process has been painstakingly slow due to the severity of burns suffered by many victims, as noted by Italian ambassador to Switzerland Gian Lorenzo Cornado.
Among those potentially affected is Charlotte Niddam, a teenager who previously attended two schools in the United Kingdom—Immanuel College in Hertfordshire and the Jewish Free School in northwest London. Italian media has identified 16-year-old junior golfer Emanuele Galeppini as one of the confirmed victims, with the Italian Golf Federation paying tribute to the ‘young athlete who carried with him passion and authentic values.’
Police have stated they will not release further details about identified victims out of respect for their grieving families.