Tragic Bar Fire in Crans-Montana: 16 More Victims Identified

Mon Jan 05 2026 11:56:20 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

The Swiss police have identified 16 additional victims from the recent devastating bar fire in Crans-Montana, bringing the total confirmed fatalities to 24. The youngest victim was just 14 years old, with many being teenagers.

The recent bar fire in Crans-Montana claimed at least 40 lives, with a significant number of the victims being young individuals. Authorities have launched a criminal investigation into the bar’s operations amid grieving families still awaiting updates on missing loved ones. Victims include a diverse national representation, and the investigation seeks to determine the cause linked to negligence.

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, authorities said.

This brings the number of identified individuals killed in the fire to 24. Eight Swiss citizens were identified earlier.

A criminal investigation is underway into the operators of Le Constellation bar, while families of the victims continue to endure an agonizing wait for news on their missing loved ones.

Authorities reported that no further details about the identified victims would be released in order to respect their relatives.

The preliminary investigation suggests that sparklers used on bottles contributed to the fire during New Year's celebrations, which resulted in a total of 40 deaths and 119 injuries.

Notably, many of the deceased and missing are teenagers, as Le Constellation is popular among the younger demographic of the ski resort, where the legal drinking age is 16.

The identified victims, aged between 16 and 24, were returned to their families on Saturday. The Italian ambassador to Switzerland, Gian Lorenzo Cornado, described the identification process as slow due to the extent of the burns suffered by many.

The bar's owners, Jacques and Jessica Moretti, face potential charges of manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence, and arson by negligence, as investigators probe compliance with safety regulations, particularly regarding acoustic foam on the ceiling.

Additionally, authorities were informed that a missing teenager, Charlotte Niddam, previously attended schools in the UK and is among those unaccounted for following the tragedy.