Last 16 victims of Crans-Montana fire identified, police say | Crans-Montana fire
Investigators have identified the last 16 people killed in a New Year’s Eve bar fire in the Swiss mountainous region of Crans-Montana, police said Sunday.
Police in the canton of Valais said on Sunday that they had managed to identify the last of 40 bodies in the fire, one of the worst disasters in recent Swiss history, and that forensic work was progressing particularly slowly because of the horrific burns suffered in many of the victims.
No information was given about their identities by the police.
Valais police said those most recently identified were 10 Swiss citizens, two Italians, one person with Italian-Emirati citizenship, one Romanian, one person from France and one from Türkiye.
The youngest person identified so far is a 14-year-old Swiss girl. Among the dead were two 15-year-old Swiss girls. Police said 10 of the other bodies identified Sunday were teenagers between the ages of 16 and 18.
Police said they had previously identified two Swiss women, aged 24 and 22, and two Swiss men, aged 21 and 18.
The mother of 16-year-old Swiss Arthur Brodard confirmed that he was among those killed. “Our Arthur is off to party in heaven,” Laetitia Brodard-Sitre wrote on her Facebook page. “We can now begin to grieve knowing that he is at peace.”
Hundreds of people took part in a silent march in the luxury resort on Sunday to remember the victims of the disaster.
After the ceremony in the Chapelle St-Christophe, the somber crowd, many with red eyes, quietly emerged from the chapel to listen to organ music. Some hugged each other and others clapped before joining the silent march up the hill to Le Constellation bar.
The dense, serpentine procession of people passed shuttered stores in the bright sunlight. Mourners and well-wishers left bouquets at a makeshift memorial filled with flowers, cuddly toys and other mementos.
Applause rippled from one end to the other as dozens of police and emergency workers, some in tears, walked through the middle of the procession to be congratulated as heroes.
“I believe that through this tragic event we must remember that we are all brothers and sisters in humanity,” said local resident Véronique Barras, who knows the grieving families. “It is important to support each other, hug each other and move towards the light.”
Among the crowd was Paola Ponti Greppi, an 80-year-old Italian who has a home in Crans-Montana, calling for better security checks in bars. “We need more security around here because this is not the only place like this. Why didn’t the municipality do the necessary checks? In my opinion, this is very bad,” he said.
During the hour-long service, Bishop Jean-Marie Lovey said messages of condolence poured in from around the world, including from the pope.
“Countless people, heartbroken people, are joining us,” Lovey told the congregation. “Many expressions of sympathy and solidarity are reaching us.
“Pope Leo XIV shares our grief. In a moving message, he expresses his compassion and concern for the families of the victims and strengthens the courage of all who suffer.”
The Rev. Gilles Cavin spoke at the interdenominational service of the “terrible uncertainty” experienced by families who are unsure whether their loved ones are among the dead or still alive among the injured.
“There are no words that can express the horror, pain and anger of those whose lives have been affected today. And yet here we are, gathered together because silence alone is not enough,” he said.
In the crowded pews, a grieving woman listened intently as speakers gave readings in German, French and Italian, her hands clenched and sometimes her rosary beads clenched.
Switzerland will hold a national day of mourning on Friday, with church bells tolling and a minute’s silence planned across the country.
“At this moment of reflection, everyone in Switzerland can personally remember the victims of the disaster,” Swiss president Guy Parmelin told newspaper Sonntagsblick.
The district attorney said investigators believe the fire started when sparkling candles were held too close to the venue’s basement ceiling.
Prosecutors said Saturday that two men who run the bar are under criminal investigation on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter, unintentional bodily harm and unintentionally causing a fire. The names of the managers were not mentioned in the statement.
Authorities planned to investigate whether the soundproofing material on the ceiling met regulations and whether candles were allowed in the bar. Officials said they will also review security measures at the facility, including fire extinguishers and escape routes.
119 people were injured, many with disfiguring wounds, and many were transferred to burn units at hospitals in Europe to help Switzerland’s overwhelmed clinics.
The severity of the victims’ burns necessitated the use of DNA samples and dental records to help identify the bodies, authorities said.
Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report
