Switzerland hearth newest: 16 extra victims recognized by police – together with 14-year-old Swiss woman

• Two operators of a Swiss bar are under criminal investigation following a New Year’s Eve fire that killed 40 people and injured 119.
• The blaze occurred at Le Constellation in the upscale ski resort of Crans-Montana, Valais, with prosecutors suspecting negligent homicide, negligent bodily harm, and arson by negligence.
• Indications suggest the fire started when sparklers, reportedly used with champagne bottles, came into contact with the bar’s soundproofed ceiling, leading to a rapid and widespread inferno.
• Investigations will examine the bar’s renovations, fire extinguishing systems, escape routes, and the number of people present, as authorities work to identify victims, many of whom are young people.
• One of the bar’s owners stated that the establishment had undergone regular checks and complied with regulations, while residents call for an independent inquiry into the tragedy.

Witnesses have said it was not clear whether there were other emergency exits during the fire.

People who were in the club have described a single stairwell leading from the basement to the enclosed terrace, with a small door at the end, where desperate people trying to escape from both floors became trapped.

Laetitia Place, 17, said she had just entered the basement area expecting to meet friends when the fire exploded and raced across the ceiling.

“I saw a friend of mine, and then we saw the fire, and we went straight back up,” she told Reuters.

“The first stairs are pretty easy to get through since they’re wide,” she said.

“But after that, there’s the small door where everyone was pushing, and so we all fell. We were piled on top of each other; some people were burning, and some were dead next to us.”

Swiss police have identified a further 16 victims who died after a fire swept through a New Year’s party at a bar in a popular ski resort.

A 14-year-old Swiss girl is among those who now been identified, with the majority of those identified on Sunday being under 18.

Those identified by police included 10 Swiss people, as well as foreign nationals from Italy, Romania, Turkey and France.

On Friday, officials had only identified one of the dead, a teenage Italian international golfer, Emanuele Galeppini.

According to two people familiar with the investigation, some of the victims may be under 16.

Local residents said the bar was popular with young people and the Swiss government said many of the dead were likely youths. Beer and wine can be drunk from age 16 in Switzerland.

Swiss authorities have identified eight Swiss nationals among those killed. While the names of the victims have not been released, they were all aged between 16 to 24 years.

The Swiss justice minister said he was “so sorry” for the tragedy that killed over 40 and injured 119 during a New Year’s Eve party.

“It was an enormous tragedy. We’re all so sorry that this had to happen,” Beat Jans told reporters, standing in front of the cordoned-off bar, Le Constellation.

Residents still grieving over the sudden loss of lives in Valais have welcomed the news of the criminal probe, saying it was important that authorities get to the bottom of the case.

“We need a moment to reflect,” said one, Patricia Mazzoni, 55. “But afterwards, I’d like an independent investigation. An independent investigation to find out who failed here.”

Witnesses reported seeing staff at Le Constellation carrying so-called fountain candles atop bottles of champagne, and questions have also arisen about a foam material used to soundproof the ceiling of the basement where revellers danced.

Beatrice Pilloud, chief prosecutor of Valais, said indications were that the fire started because the sparklers got too near to the ceiling.

“From there, a rapid, very rapid and widespread blaze ensued,” she said on Friday afternoon.

Investigations will look at renovations made to the bar, the fire extinguishing systems and escape routes, as well as the number of people inside when the blaze began, prosecutors said.