We are now closing our Switzerland resort fire blog for today.
Here is our latest report from the tragedy:
Updated
Emanuele Galeppini, a promising 17-year-old Italian golfer who competed internationally, is officially listed as one of Italy’s missing nationals.
His uncle Sebastiano Galeppini told Italian news agency ANSA that their family are awaiting the DNA checks, though the Italian Golf Federation on its website announced that he had died.
Italy’s foreign minister Antonio Tajani said 13 Italian citizens were injured and six remained missing by midday Friday. Emanuele’s name was on the missing persons list.
A missing persons page has been set up on Instagram, with notices posted for those who still have not been found since the fire.
The bio on the page reads:
Temporary account that will be closed as soon as everyone has been found. Please DM us as soon as a notice can be removed.
So far, 50 notices have already been shared on the page, which has accrued more than 33,000 followers.
Axel, who was in the basement bar where the fire started, told reporters he did not know how he “miraculously” made it out.
He turned over a table and hid behind it to protect himself from the fire, before making his way upstairs.
“We couldn’t see anything, I was half choking,” he told the Reuters news agency.
He used a table, and then his feet, to break a window to get out, avoiding what he said was a single door that was too narrow for the many people trying to escape.
Updated
What we learnt from today's press conference
Valais attorney general Beatrice Pilloud said the fire appears to have started from “sparklers put on bottles of champagne that was moved too close to the ceiling”.
Valais police chief Frédéric Gisler confirmed of the 119 injured people, 113 have been formally identified, while six others are as yet unknown. Among the injured are 71 Swiss, 14 French citizens, 11 Italians, four Serbs, as well as one individual each from Bosnia, Belgium, Luxembourg, Poland and Portugal. Fourteen of the injured’s nationalities have not yet been confirmed.
He said the death toll still stands at 40, with formal identification continuing.
Pilloud was asked by a journalist if the French owners of the bar have been told not to leave the country. She said she would not talk directly about the couple, adding: “The people who have been interviewed, they are not interviewed under caution. If there is a flight risk, it is possible for us to take the necessary measures, but for the moment no criminal liability has been determined.”
She said the most important thing is the investigation and to determine the responsibilities. “We don’t want to put any limitations on what private individuals can do or buy,” she added.
She added that she did not know if it will ever be possible to have an exact answer on the number of people in the building at the time of the fire.
Pilloud said the investigation is looking at the acoustic foam pictured on the ceiling of the basement venue to see whether it complied with regulations or was the source of the fire. It is not possible to give an answer on that today, she said. “It is essential that we do not make any assumptions,” she added.
Pilloud said the investigation has looked at “various videos” of the incident published in the media and online. Asked about social media footage from the fire, she said: “We’ve watched various videos that have been published in the media.”
Most of those injured in 'serious condition'
Reynard says the majority of injured treated at the site of the fire were in a serious condition.
Meanwhile, Roten adds that out of the people treated, the majority were “seriously injured”.
A journalist is now asking about the safety rules in place for the venue.
Pilloud says the most important thing is the investigation and to determine the responsibilities.
“We don’t want to put any limitations on what private individuals can do or buy,” she adds.
And with that, the press conference has come to an end.
Updated
Asked about the 14 victims whose nationalities are unknown, Ganzer says that police have been able to identify them by name but not formally.
“As the attorney general said … these figures will change and evolve over the days to come and we will give updates,” he says.
'No criminal liability has been determined': attorney general
Pilloud is asked by a journalist if the French owners of the bar have been told not to leave the country.
She says she will not talk directly about the couple, adding: “The people who have been interviewed, they are not interviewed under caution.
“If there is a flight risk, it is possible for us to take the necessary measures, but for the moment no criminal liability has been determined.”
Updated
Pilloud says the investigation has looked at “various videos” of the incident published in the media and online.
Asked about social media footage from the fire, she says: “We’ve watched various videos that have been published in the media.
“The phone footage was filmed outside by people who wanted to help but we haven’t completed our analysis of it.”
Updated
'Anyone can buy' the sparklers used in the bar, officials say
In response to a question about the identification of the 40 people who have died, Frédéric Gisler says:
“At this stage we have 40 victims and identification is continuing … That is the absolute priority.”
Asked about whether any permit would have been needed for the sparklers, Pilloud says: “These are birthday candles you can buy in a shop, anyone can have access to them.”
Updated
Pilloud says she does not know if it will ever be possible to have an exact answer on the number of people in the building at the time of the fire.
The theory that the fire was started by sparklers in champagne bottles is “favoured and maybe confirmed”, she says.
Asked about a perceived lack of information for the victims’ families, Bonvin says “it is clear we have not answered the concerns of families if they wondered if someone was dead or not, if they were receiving care elsewhere, that is not in our remit”.
It is clear that it is difficult for everyone to get precise information, he adds, given that the immediate concern of the response has been to save lives.
'Many people were not able to find the exits': security chief
Pilloud says the investigation is looking at the acoustic foam pictured on the ceiling of the basement venue to see whether it complied with regulations or was the source of the fire.
It is not possible to give an answer on that today, she says. “It is essential that we do not make any assumptions,” she adds.
Ganzer adds that inspection of the buildings in the responsibility of the cantons, which are supposed to be carried out every year.
With relation to the bar, there were no defects raised in its most recent inspection, he says.
The building had an emergency exit in addition to the main staircase, he says, but the smoke may have made it hard for people to see.
Ganzer says: “This building had an emergency exit – there was not just one door, even if during the fire it would appear that people left through the main exit, but this building was indeed equipped with [another] emergency exit.
“But you can imagine that during a blaze, with smoke, which within just a few moments makes it impossible for them to see … a majority of people were not able to find the exits.”
Updated
Valais chief prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud is summing up by saying the figures may differentiate from others previously given.
Some victims came to the emergency centre and found their injuries were worse than they first feared, she says.
Pillaud, asked about the varying numbers of injured reported in the last two days, says: “There are different figures that have been given to you today. These are not definitive figures. The figures are perhaps different to other figures that you have heard: that is due quite simply to the changes in the number of injured … there are people who came themselves to the hospitals, to the emergency room, realising that their injuries were more important, which increased the number of those injured.
“The figures we have shared with you today are of people who have finally and formally been identified.
“I would really like to thank everybody here for the excellent work, the collaboration that we have to successfully carry out the investigation, to help the families and to save those people,” she concludes. “This support is essential.”
It looks like questions are now being taken from journalists in the room. Keep following for any updates that emerge from that.
Updated
The type of lesions suffered by the majority of victims “will need to be treated for a long time”, Bonvin says.
Being treated close to their loved ones is an essential part of their recovery too, he adds.
In the two hours following the start of the response, many colleagues spontaneously came back to work to help teams cope with the influx of patients.
Many were worried about whether their own loved ones were among the victims, Bonvin says.
Eric Bonvin, director of the regional hospital in Sion where many patients were taken, is now talking.
He says the population in Valais was “doubled” during the festive period, with the emergency centre already busy with “ordinary injuries” on the night of the fire.
All of the injured from the fire did receive care, he says. “This developed a lot … we moved to a stabilisation phase but we also need to understand that this is a period that is quite delicate as families start to make contact with their loved ones,” he says.
He is asking the media to not access the hospitals to speak to victims at this moment and that “limits” are being put in place to help patients.
Speaking of his hospital in Sion, 55 victims were received, with 13 able to go home, 11 still in hospital -including four in critical care and three receiving surgery – and 28 transferred elsewhere.
Ganzer adds that those caring for the victims, such as first respondents, “will not be abandoned” and will receive care themselves.
He hands over to Fredy-Michel Roten, director of the Cantonal Valais Rescue Organisation, who thanks all partners in responding to the tragedy.
Roten adds that there is “significant solidarity” from hospitals who took in the victims.
He says: “Care of the burns is complex and can take several weeks or several months … given the number of injured and the lack of places available, patients were first of all distributed to hospitals in Switzerland that have intensive care but not necessarily specialist burns units.”
Some patients will now be transferred to specialist hospital units elsewhere in Europe, he adds.
Updated
Stephane Ganzer, head of security in Valais, says the families of the victims will receive psychological support from the police.
He describes the incident as “unprecedented in the history of our canton” and that it is receiving support from federal police also.
Around 40 police officers are still present in the field to support, guide and secure the site, he says.
Pierre Antoine Lengen, head of Valais criminal police, says police officers visited the site of the fire yesterday and are examining the bodies of the victims to help identify individuals.
Data is being compiled including dental records, DNA and even what the victims were wearing at the time of the fire.
“It is complex and must be very meticulous – we cannot make mistakes in this area, even if the waiting is very difficult to experience,” he adds.
There will be a possibility to consider criminal proceedings in relation to causing a fire through negligence, homicide through negligence and corporate damage by negligence, Valais attorney general Beatrice Pilloud says.
Work is being carried out to assess whether those individuals who could face penal proceedings are still alive, she adds.
“There will be an option to consider if … if they are still alive, there is a case for any person to face penal charges,” she says.
Updated
Fire apparently started by sparklers, prosecutor says
Valais attorney general Beatrice Pilloud says the fire appears to have started from “sparklers put on bottles of champagne that was moved too close to the ceiling”.
She says: “Everything leads us to believe that the fire was started from sparkling candles or sparklers that were put on bottles of champagne that were moved too close to the ceiling.
“From that a blaze began very quickly … There are videos that have been analysed; there are several people who have been interviewed and reports have been made.”
Lists have been provided of those who were present on New Year’s Eve, she adds.
The investigation’s next steps will focus on materials used in the bar, the operating permits, safety measures such as fire extinguishers and emergency exits and the number of people in attendance, she says.
“The next steps of the investigate will focus in particular on the work carried out inside the bar, the materials utilised, the operating permits, the safety measures – by which I mean extinguishers, emergency exits and the resources to fight fires … the number of people on the site and the number of people the bar is permitted to receive,” she adds.
Updated
Nationalities of injured: 71 Swiss, 14 French, 11 Italians and others hurt
Valais police chief Frédéric Gisler has confirmed of the 119 injured people, 113 have been formally identified, while six others are as yet unknown.
Among the injured are 71 Swiss, 14 French citizens, 11 Italians, four Serbs, as well as one individual each from Bosnia, Belgium, Luxembourg, Poland and Portugal.
Fourteen of the injured’s nationalities have not yet been confirmed.
He says the death toll still stands at 40, with formal identification continuing.
Updated
Many people were injured and are “still fighting to live”, says Reynard, who is praising by the “exceptional teams” giving critical care to victims.
“Many people have given up their leave to go to the hospital,” he says. “A nurse told me today silence is reigning at the hospital.”
A ceremony will be held on 9 January in Crans-Montana to give the local community a chance to come together to remember to victims of the fire.
Reynard is thanking neighbouring countries who have offered to help following the tragedy.
He says transfers have already started to hospitals in France, and French doctors are also assisting at Valais hospital.
An offer to care for injured people in the north of Italy was also accepted, Reynard adds.
Around 50 injured have been or will be transferred soon to specialised centres for severe burns in other European countries.
Swiss authorities hold press conference
The Swiss authorities are now holding a press conference in Sion, Switzerland, to update on the fire.
Mathias Reynard, president of Valais state council, says work has been underway to identify the victims as quickly as possible.
The Valais hospital immediately cared for at least half of the patients admitted, with “immense support” from the other Swiss cantons, he says.
Updated
My colleague Angela Giuffrida in Crans-Montana has also reported the below on the critical condition of the majority of those injured in the fire:
Stéphane Ganzer, a regional health and safety official, told RTL radio that several of the injured had not yet been identified, either because they were not carrying ID or because it had been lost in the fire, adding that many were also in a critical condition.
“I think a large number of the injured, maybe between 80 and 100, are in a life-threatening condition,” Ganzer said on Friday.
When 15% or more of an adult’s body has third-degree burns, there is a risk of death in the days and hours that follow.
Valais canton president says at least 80 of 115 injured are in critical condition
The exact death toll is still being established.
According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), it could still rise with canton president Mathias Reynard telling the regional newspaper Walliser Bote that at least 80 of the 115 injured were in critical condition.
A press conference from the Swiss authorities is expected to begin soon. We will bring you lines from it once it commences.
While the cause of the disaster is still under investigation, videos and photos suggest the blaze spread quickly.
My colleagues have created a visual guide to the Crans-Montana bar fire in Switzerland, with photos, video and text. You can view it at the link below:
Earlier we reported that Poland had offered specialised medical care (see 10.37am GMT) as overwhelmed Swiss burn units send victims of the ski resort fire in Crans-Montana to neighbouring countries.
The Polish offer of help includes four ICU beds and 10 for patients with less severe injuries, a Polish interior ministry spokesperson said.
The beds are located at the southern Siemianowice Slaskie hospital, which specialises in the treatment of burns and chronic injuries, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Poland has also proposed deploying two medics on the ground, as well as aircraft to transport the 14 injured to the Polish hospital.
Updated
Crans-Montana fire survivors treated in burns units across Europe
Survivors of the catastrophic bar fire in the upmarket Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana are being cared for in special burns units across Europe, while investigators say many of the dead were so badly burned that it could take days or weeks to identify them.
About 40 people were killed and 115 injured when the blaze ripped through a New Year’s Eve celebration in the packed Constellation bar and basement nightclub.
Crans-Montana’s mayor, Nicolas Féraud, said:
The first objective is to assign names to all the bodies.
The Swiss president, Guy Parmelin, called the fire “a calamity of unprecedented, terrifying proportions” as he described the devastating toll. “Behind these figures are faces, names, families, lives brutally cut short, completely interrupted or for ever changed,” Parmelin said at a news conference.
So severe were the victims’ burns that Swiss officials said identification work was particularly gruelling. Parents of missing youths issued pleas for news of their loved ones and foreign embassies scrambled to work out if their nationals were among those caught up in one of the worst tragedies to strike modern Switzerland.
Mathias Reynard, the head of government of the canton of Valais, said experts were using dental records and DNA samples for the task. He said:
All this work needs to be done because the information is so terrible and sensitive that nothing can be told to the families unless we are 100% sure.
Despite having one of the world’s most advanced medical systems, Switzerland’s regional clinics quickly reached capacity in the hours after the blaze. More than 30 people were taken to hospitals with specialised burns units in Zurich and Lausanne and six were taken to Geneva, according to a Swiss news agency.
Many more of the injured were transported to other countries including Belgium, France and Germany, while the EU said it had been in contact with Swiss authorities about providing medical assistance.
Updated
This image, that has been circulating online, appears to show the point just before the ceiling caught fire inside Le Constellation nightclub in the ski resort of Crans-Montana, Switzerland.
The image may have been subjected to some digital enhancement.
Image appears to show moment bar ceiling caught fire
This image, that has been circulating online, appears to show the point the ceiling caught fire inside Le Constellation nightclub in the ski resort of Crans-Montana, Switzerland. The image may have been subjected to some digital enhancement and subsequently the Guardian has blurred some identifying personal details.
Updated
A Swiss flag flies at half-mast at the Federal Palace, Bern, today following a fire at Le Constellation bar and lounge that killed and injured several people during New Year’s celebrations.
Italian foreign minister: some survivors still unidentified due to 'horrific' injuries
Thirteen Italians remain in hospital, with five of them having suffered “severe injuries and burns”, according to the Italian foreign minister.
Antonio Tajani added that six more Italian nationals are unaccounted for following the devastating fire at the Swiss ski resort bar.
Speaking to the media, Tajani said that Italy has offered burns units in Italian hospitals, and has sent burns specialists, psychologists and coroners to help with the identification of the victims.
He also said that three of the 115 injured people in hospital have not yet been identified because their injuries are too severe.
“Identification is an issue. There are three people who are injured who have not been identified. We hope that they may be among the Italians missing … the injuries of those who survived are also horrific.”
He added that images circulating of ignited sparklers inside the venue “does seem to be an irresponsible choice. Something clearly went wrong here, something didn’t work. Judges will carry out an investigation and apportion responsibility.”
Updated
Authorities on Friday began moving the bodies of victims of a fire that ripped through a crowded bar a day before in a Swiss ski resort town to a funeral centre in a nearby city, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The first silver-coloured hearse rolled into the funeral centre in Sion shortly after 11am (10am GMT), according to AFP journalists on the scene. It was followed by several other hearses.
Families and loved ones of those who attended a New Year’s celebration at Le Constellation in Crans-Montana face an agonising wait for news. Reuters has this report:
“I have been searching for my son for 30 hours. The wait is unbearable,” Laetitia, the mother of missing 16-year-old Arthur, told BFM TV, saying she was desperate to know if he was alive or dead, and where.
Laetitia added:
If he’s in the hospital, I don’t know which hospital he’s in. If he’s in the morgue, I don’t know which morgue he’s in. If my son is alive, he’s alone in the hospital, and I can’t be by his side.
Dental and DNA samples being used to identify victims, says official
Reuters has shared some more on the difficulties facing those tasked with identifying victims of the fire.
Swiss authorities have warned that naming the victims or establishing a definitive death toll would take time because many of the bodies were badly burned.
“All this work needs to be done because the information is so terrible and sensitive that nothing can be told to the families unless we are 100 percent sure,” said Mathias Reynard, head of government of the canton of Valais. Experts were using dental and DNA samples to identify the victims, he said.
Updated
Italy’s ambassador to Switzerland Gian Lorenzo Cornado has said that all bar five of the 112 injured have been identified now, reports Reuters. Swiss officials are yet to give an update on this and have not shared the names of any victims or injured.
Six Italians are still missing and 13 hospitalised, he added. Three Italians were repatriated on Thursday and three more will follow on Friday, he said.
A collective grief can be felt in Crans-Montana, writes Angela Giuffrida who is reporting for the Guardian from the Swiss ski resort today:
“I’m still trying to digest it,” said Jacques, who was born in Crans, as he drank coffee with his friend in a bar.
It’s the grief, as if we have all lost a loved one.
Also, a taxi driver in Sion told me last night that he made several trips up to Crans on Wednesday night, transporting “many teenage partygoers”.
“It’s too sad to even talk about,” he said.
Updated
Tusk confirms Poland ready to provide specialised medical care for 14 injured nationals
Polish prime minister Donald Tusk has said that 14 Poles were injured in the Crans-Montana fire.
In a social media post this morning, Tusk shared his condolences with the families and the loved ones of the victims and said Poland was ready, at Switzerland’s request, to provide specialised medical care for the 14 injured in Polish hospitals.
Additionally, the French foreign ministry has been cited as reporting that nine of its citizens were injured in the fire and eight are still missing.
Italian foreign ministry say 19 nationals involved in fire as Italian FM visits Crans-Montana
Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani is in Crans-Montana to “visit the families of Italian citizens involved in the tragic New Year’s Eve fire, which caused dozens of deaths and injuries”.
The Italian foreign ministry gave the update in a social media post on Friday morning, adding that Tajani would also “convey the Italian government’s solidarity” to the Italian embassy in Switzerland.
According to another update on television, the Italian foreign ministry said that of the 19 Italians now known to have been involved in the disaster, three patients had been transferred to Niguarda hospital in Lombardy, 10 have been hospitalised elsewhere and six remain missing.
Updated
Here is an image of Emanuele Galeppini, who was the first victim of the fire to be named (see 9.02am GMT).
In a post on its website, the Italian Golf Federation paid tribute to a “young athlete who embodied passion and authentic values”. While numerous news outlets have shared this news, officials are yet to confirm the names of any victims.
Reuters reports that the 16-year-old Italian international golfer who lived in Dubai, named on Friday as the first of several possible victims from Italy to be identified, had been in Crans-Montana with his family.
The news agency, citing Italian media, reported that he had gone to Le Constellation bar with two friends, who managed to escape the fire and were taken to nearby hospitals.
Updated
Crans-Montana is popular with international visitors, especially French and Italian, but it is also home to about 11,000 residents.
The Guardian’s Angela Giuffrida has shared this report from Crans-Montana this morning:
Early morning skiers took the slopes and joggers did circuits around the frozen lake on Friday as the local community in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana mourn the deaths of about 40 people killed when a fire ripped through a crowded bar as they celebrated the new year.
The mound of floral tributes outside Le Constellation bar continues to grow as
Swiss investigators race to identify the victims, a process that could take days owing to the burns sustained.
“Rest in peace among the stars,” one of the messages read.
Updated
What we know so far
Here is a roundup of everything we know so far about the fire that ripped through the crowded Le Constellation bar in the Swiss Alpine ski resort of Crans-Montana:
A fire that tore through a crowded bar at a New Year’s Eve party in the Alpine ski resort of Crans-Montana has killed about 40 people and injured 115.
The fire broke out at 1.30am on Thursday in the town’s Le Constellation bar, but it’s not yet clear what set off the blaze. Some witnesses said it started after sparklers or flares were put into champagne bottles.
Two women told the French broadcaster BFMTV they had been inside when they saw a bartender carrying a female member of staff on his shoulders. She was holding a lit birthday candle on top of a bottle that set fire to the wooden ceiling. The flames spread quickly and caused the ceiling to collapse, they said. The canton’s chief prosecutor, Beatrice Pilloud, said she could not comment on reports that lighted candles had caused the inferno.
Swiss president Guy Parmelin has said the country will hold five days of mourning, describing the blaze as one of the most traumatic events in Switzerland’s history.
Parmelin – speaking in his first day in the job as Switzerland’s new head of state – said some of those who survived were “severely injured”. They had suffered serious burns, as well as damage to their lungs.
The first victim has been named as a talented young Italian golfer, Emanuele Galeppini. In a post on its website, the Italian Golf Federation paid tribute to a “young athlete who embodied passion and authentic values”. While numerous news outlets have shared this news, officials are yet to confirm the names of any victims.
Swiss police warned it could take days or even weeks to identify everyone who died in the disaster. 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.
The injured were dispatched to hospitals in Sion, Lausanne, Geneva and Zurich, and others transported to neighbouring countries. The European Union said it has been in contact with Swiss authorities about providing medical assistance, while the French president, Emmanuel Macron, said some of the injured were being cared for in French hospitals.
Italy’s foreign ministry said 16 of its nationals were missing and 12 were among the injured. France said eight of its citizens were missing and it could not rule out that French nationals were among the dead. One Australian was among the injured.
Hundreds gathered in silence in the freezing cold on Thursday evening, laying flowers and lighting candles. Many at the night-time vigil knew people who remain unaccounted for, or were badly injured.
Updated
Video apparently shows efforts to extinguish ceiling fire
A video that appears to show an attempt at putting out fire spreading on the ceiling of Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana can be viewed below:
Updated
Hundreds of mourners gathered in silence in the freezing night in Crans-Montana on Thursday evening, laying flowers and lighting candles to remember those killed in a blaze as they celebrated the new year.
Our picture desk has created this gallery with some of the photographs of those paying tribute:
First victim of fire named
The first victim of a fire that tore through a crowded bar in Switzerland has been named as a talented young Italian golfer, Emanuele Galeppini.
In a post on its website, the Italian Golf Federation paid tribute to a “young athlete who embodied passion and authentic values”. While numerous news outlets have shared this news, officials are yet to confirm the names of any victims.
Investigators were on Friday beginning the process to identify victims of 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.
It is not yet clear what set off the blaze at Le Constellation, killing about 40 people and injuring about 115 others, many seriously – but bystanders described scenes of panic and chaos as people tried to break the windows to escape and others, covered in burns, poured into the street.
Swiss police have warned it could take days or even weeks to identify everyone who died, leaving an agonising wait for family and friends.
Authorities have declined to speculate on what caused the tragedy, saying only that it was not an attack.
