Tragic Update: 16 More Victims Identified in Swiss Bar Fire

Mon Jan 05 2026 05:27:28 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Police have identified 16 additional victims from a devastating fire in a Swiss ski resort bar that claimed the lives of many young partygoers. The investigation continues as families await answers.

The authorities in Switzerland have identified 16 more victims from the tragic bar fire in Crans-Montana, raising the total number of victims to 24. Among them are young individuals, with the youngest being just 14 years old. A preliminary investigation indicates that sparklers used close to the ceiling might have caused the fire during New Year's celebrations, leading to at least 40 fatalities. As the investigation unfolds, families are left waiting for news of their missing loved ones.

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 people of Swiss, Italian, Romanian, Turkish, and French nationalities, police said.

This brings the number of people identified who have been killed as a result of the fire to 24, authorities said in a statement. Eight Swiss citizens were identified on Saturday.

A criminal investigation into the people who ran Le Constellation bar is underway, while families of the victims endure an agonizing wait for information about loved ones considered missing.

Police said no further details will be released about the victims identified out of respect for their relatives.

Sparklers on bottles being carried too close to the ceiling is the likely cause of the fire during New Year's celebrations at the bar, a preliminary investigation found.

The devastating fire killed at least 40 people and injured 119 others.

Many of the dead and missing are teenagers. Le Constellation was a venue popular with a younger crowd in the ski resort town, where the drinking age is 16.

The eight identified and returned to their families on Saturday were all aged between 16 and 24, according to Swiss authorities.

On Saturday, the Italian ambassador to Switzerland, Gian Lorenzo Cornado, stated that the identification process was slow due to the severity of burns many victims had suffered.

The French couple who own the bar, Jacques and Jessica Moretti, are suspected of manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence, and arson by negligence, according to the Valais region prosecutors' office.

Beatrice Pilloud, Valais canton lead prosecutor, said investigators are looking into whether acoustic foam on the venue's ceiling was 'the cause of the problem' and if it complies with regulations.

A teenager who attended two schools in the UK is believed to be among the missing. Charlotte Niddam previously attended Immanuel College in Hertfordshire and the Jewish Free School in north-west London, according to reports.