Authorities probe cause of Swiss bar fire as identification of victims continues

Swiss authorities warned on January 2 that identifying the victims of the New Year’s Eve fire at a bar in the resort of Crans-Montana will take time, as the severity of the burns has made the process particularly complex and sensitive.

The blaze at the Le Constellation bar has killed at least 40 people and injured 119, many of them seriously. Officials stressed that the figures are not final. Valais regional chief Mathias Reynard said many of the injured were still fighting for their lives.

Around 50 of the wounded have been, or will be, transferred to specialist burn units in hospitals across Europe, including in Germany and France. Police said 113 injured people have so far been identified, including 71 Swiss nationals, 14 French, 11 Italian, four Serbian, and smaller numbers from Bosnia, Belgium, Poland, Portugal and Luxembourg.

Initial investigations suggest the fire likely started when sparkler-style “fountain candles” attached to champagne bottles were held too close to the ceiling, local prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud said, stressing that this hypothesis has not yet been formally confirmed. Investigators are also examining whether ceiling insulation foam contributed to the rapid spread of the flames and whether criminal negligence was involved.

Survivors described chaotic escape attempts as the fire spread rapidly through the crowded venue. One witness said he survived by sheltering behind a table before breaking a window to escape, as a narrow exit became blocked by people trying to flee.

The first publicly identified victim was 16-year-old Italian international golfer Emanuele Galeppini, who lived in Dubai. His death prompted tributes from the Italian Golf Federation.

Families and friends of missing young people gathered near the cordoned-off site as embassies worked to account for their nationals. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said 13 Italians were hospitalised, and six were missing, while France’s embassy reported eight French citizens unaccounted for and nine injured.

By Tamilla Hasanova