All 40 people killed in a fire on New Year’s eve at a Swiss mountain resort bar have been identified, including nine French citizens. Switzerland has declared a national day of mourning as a criminal investigation continues.
Half of the victims of the fire in Crans-Montana were teenagers, Wallis canton police said Sunday.
They ranged in age from 14 to 39 years old, and included 21 Swiss nationals, nine French (including one Franco-Swiss and one 14-year-old who held French, Israeli and British nationalities), and six Italians.
Other victims came from Belgium, Portugal, Romania and Turkey.
The Swiss government said on Sunday that 35 patients have been transferred from hospitals in Switzerland to specialised clinics France as well as Belgium, Germany, and Italy.
Mourning
Hundreds of people walked in silence on Sunday to a small chapel near the bar, following a memorial service for the victims and the 119 people injured.
Pastor Gilles Cavin noted that “many of the victims were apprentices, high school students, and university students”.
The fire was one of the worst disasters in recent Swiss history and has led to an outpouring of grief in Switzerland, which will hold a national day of mourning on 9 January, national president Guy Parmelin said on Sunday
"In this moment of reflection, everyone in Switzerland can personally remember the victims of the disaster," Parmelin told newspaper Sonntagsblick.
Investigation
Authorities believe the fire was likely caused by sparklers attached to champagne bottles held too close to soundproofing foam on the ceiling of Le Constellation bar, which ignited and quickly spread.
The Wallis cantonal prosecutor’s office said initial witness statements “describe a fire that spread rapidly, generating a large amount of smoke and intense heat”.
The blaze began around 1:30am on Thursday in a packed basement of the bar that was crammed with young partygoers.
The French couple who ran the bar, Jacques and Jessica Moretti, are under criminal investigation on suspicion of offences including homicide by negligence, police said on Sunday.
The mayor of Crans-Montana, Nicolas Feraud, told Swiss public broadcaster RTS that there had been no negligence on the municipality’s part.
(with newswires)
