In brief
Swiss police have disclosed the identities of 16 more victims from the tragic fire at a bar in Crans-Montana, with the youngest being a 14-year-old girl. The investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing, with suspicions of negligence against the bar's owners. Families of the victims are enduring a harrowing wait for closure as the search for additional missing individuals continues.
The bodies of 16 more victims of a bar fire in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana have been identified by police.
The youngest person was a Swiss girl aged 14, with nine aged under 18. The group includes individuals from various nationalities: Swiss, Italian, Romanian, Turkish, and French, as confirmed by the police.
This tragic incident has now seen a total of 24 identified victims following the identification of eight Swiss citizens on Saturday.
A criminal investigation is currently underway concerning the operations of Le Constellation bar, while families await news about loved ones still considered missing.
Police have stated that no further information about the identified victims will be released to respect their families.
Preliminary investigations point to sparklers being carried too close to the ceiling as the likely cause of the fire that broke out during New Year's festivities at the bar.
The fire has already claimed the lives of at least 40 individuals and left 119 more injured, with a significant number of victims being teenagers. The venue, Le Constellation, was popular among younger patrons in a region where the legal drinking age is 16.
The eight recently identified victims, all aged between 16 and 24, were returned to their families over the weekend.
On Saturday, the Italian Ambassador to Switzerland noted the slow pace of the identification process due to the severity of many victims' injuries.
Jacques and Jessica Moretti, the couple who owns the bar, are currently facing accusations of manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm, and arson by negligence.
Authorities, led by Beatrice Pilloud, are examining whether the acoustic foam on the venue's ceiling contributed to the rapid spread of the flames.
Among those missing is a teenager, Charlotte Niddam, who has links to two schools in the UK.
