The fire that ripped through a bar in the Swiss Alps town of Crans-Montana, turning a New Year's celebration into one of the country's worst tragedies, was likely started by sparklers carried in champagne bottles, officials said on Friday afternoon.
Mathias Reynard, president of the Valais region, confirmed the death toll of the blaze at Le Constellation at the press conference on Friday afternoon, stating that 40 people were killed.
Of some 119 injured, most were in serious condition, and around 50 "have been transferred or will be transferred soon to European countries in specialised centres for severe burns," Reynard said.
The authorities stated they identified most of those injured, or 113, with Switzerland working closely with foreign governments to reach "formal, definitive identification" for all of the victims.
An official ceremony will be held on 9 January to commemorate them, Parmelin said.
Swiss President Guy Parmelin, who took over on Thursday, said earlier that the fire was "a calamity of unprecedented, terrifying proportions", and announced that flags would be flown at half mast for five days.
"Behind these figures are faces, names, families, lives brutally cut short, completely interrupted, or forever changed," Parmelin said.
One of the main concerns for authorities and families alike is that the death toll might rise, as canton president Mathias Reynard told the regional newspaper Walliser Bote that at least 80 of the 115 injured were in critical condition.
Swiss authorities warned it could take days or even weeks to identify everyone who perished, an agonising wait for family and friends.
"Given the international nature of the Crans resort, we can expect foreign nationals to be among the victims," local police commander Frederic Gisler said.
First victim identified
Meanwhile, the Italian Golf Association paid tribute to the 16-year-old Emanuele Galeppini, "a young athlete who embodied passion and authentic values".
Galeppini's father went to Crans-Montana to search for his son, who was considered missing until Friday morning, Italian media reported, naming him as the first known victim of the bar blaze. Swiss authorities have not confirmed any identities of victims at this time.
Authorities began moving bodies from the burned-out bar in the luxury ski resort town late Friday morning, with the first silver-coloured hearse rolling into the funeral centre in nearby Sion shortly after 11 am.
The exact number of people who were at the bar when it went up in flames remains unclear, and police have not specified how many are still missing.
Le Constellation had a capacity of 300 people, plus another 40 people on its terrace, according to the Crans-Montana website.
"We've tried to reach our friends. We took loads of photos and posted them on Instagram, Facebook, all possible social networks to try to find them," said Eleonore, 17. "But there's nothing. No response."
"Even the parents don't know," she added.
"The atmosphere is heavy," Dejan Bajic, a 56-year-old tourist from Geneva who has been coming to the resort since 1974, said.
"It's like a small village; everyone knows someone who knows someone who's been affected," he said.
Authorities confirm sparklers caused blaze
Authorities initially declined to speculate on what caused the fire that broke out around 1:30 am Thursday at the bar popular with young tourists, saying only that it was not an attack.
Several witness accounts broadcast by Swiss, French and Italian media pointed to sparklers apparently mounted on champagne bottles and held aloft by restaurant staff as part of a regular "show" for patrons who made special orders to their tables.
There were "waitresses with champagne bottles and little sparklers. They got too close to the ceiling, and suddenly it all caught fire," Axel, a witness, told the Italian media outlet Local Team.
One video showed the flames advancing quickly as revellers initially continued to dance.
One young man playfully attempted to extinguish the flames with a large white cloth, but the scene became panic-stricken as people scrambled and screamed in the dark against a backdrop of smoke and flames.
Nathan, who was in the bar before the blaze, saw burned people streaming out of the site. "They were asking for help, crying out for help," he said.
"We thought it was just a small fire — but when we got there, it was war," Mathys, from neighbouring Chermignon-d'en-Bas, said. "That's the only word I can use to describe it: the apocalypse."
The canton's chief prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud said the two French bar managers as well as witnesses have been interviewed, and evidence such as video footage was gathered.
Earlier, Pilloud said investigators would look into whether the bar met safety standards and had the required number of exits.
Europe offers help
Red and white caution tape, flowers and candles adorned the street where the tragedy occurred, while police shielded the site with white screens.
After emergency units at the local hospitals filled up, many of the injured were transported across Switzerland and to neighbouring countries.
The European Union said it has been in contact with Swiss authorities about providing medical assistance, while French President Emmanuel Macron said some of the injured were being cared for in French hospitals.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who is visiting Crans-Montana on Friday, said that around 13 Italians had been injured in the fire, while six others remained missing.
"Together with the Swiss authorities, to whom we reiterate our solidarity and support , we are doing everything possible to address this emergency. A prayer in this place of pain," Tajani wrote on X after his visit to the site of the blaze.
Italian media reported on Thursday afternoon that the death toll has reached 47 victims, a number Swiss authorities have not confirmed.
The French foreign ministry said nine French citizens figured among the injured, and eight others remained unaccounted for.
Multiple sources told the media that the bar owners are French nationals: a couple originally from Corsica who are reportedly safe, but have been unreachable since the tragedy.
Meanwhile, Poland said Friday it had offered specialised medical care as overwhelmed Swiss burn units send victims of a ski resort fire at a New Year's celebration to neighbouring countries.
"We are ready, at Switzerland's request, to provide specialized medical care to 14 injured in Polish hospitals," Prime Minister Donald Tusk wrote on X.
"Switzerland and the canton of Valais can count on Polish solidarity," he added.
The Polish offer of help includes four ICU beds and 10 for patients with less severe injuries, a Polish interior ministry spokeswoman said.
The beds are located at the southern Siemianowice Slaskie hospital, which specialises in the treatment of burns and chronic wounds.
Poland has also proposed deploying two medics on the ground, as well as aircraft to transport the 14 injured to the Polish hospital.
Pope Leo XIV offered prayers on Friday for the victims of the New Year's fireand offered "compassion and solidarity" to their families.
"He wishes to express his compassion and solidarity to the loved ones of the victims. He prays to the Lord to welcome the deceased into his dwelling place of peace and light," read a note sent from the Vatican's secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, to the Bishop of Sion, Jean-Marie Lovey.
