Former British schoolgirl, 15, is confirmed to be among victims of Swiss bar inferno as all are identified – with 26 of the 40 fatalities aged 18 or under

A 15-year-old British schoolgirl was identified as the victim of a fire that broke out in a bar in the Crans-Montana ski resort on New Year’s Eve.

The body of the victim, believed to be Charlotte Niddam, was reportedly identified with the help of Israeli emergency services organization Zaka.

“This is a very painful and difficult moment,” Zaka official Nachman Dickstein said, according to Channel 12.

“We are still working here with all authorities, local authorities, representatives of the Jewish community and an Israeli delegation to ensure security at every stage.” [of the process] It is conducted with sensitivity and appropriate respect for the deceased and their families.’

Her family said in a statement on social media: ‘It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our beautiful daughter and sister Charlotte.

‘Details regarding funeral arrangements will follow soon. He will most likely be in Paris on Thursday. Thank you for your support over the last few days.’

On Friday, Immanuel College, a private Jewish school in Hertfordshire that Niddam had previously attended, released a statement confirming Niddam had gone missing.

‘We are making an urgent request for our school community to come together to support Charlotte Niddam,’ the statement said.

‘Charlotte was a student at Immanuel College and her family has now moved back to France.

‘The families have asked that we all keep them in our thoughts and prayers during this extremely difficult time. We are all praying for a miracle for Charlotte and the others, and we want families to feel the full force of support from the Immanuel College community.

Images of the missing teenager were shared in a post on the Instagram account @cransmontana.avisderecherche, which was set up to help find survivors.

The Instagram account said the teenager was a babysitter and visited the ski resort in the Alps very often.

Friends at her old school in England also posted a series of photos of Charlotte on TikTok.

A friend called Mia wrote on the social platform: ‘My sweet sweet special Lottie, I love you more than the meaning of life. ‘I need my best friend, I miss you.’

Another friend, Summer, posted a compilation of videos of the two friends together and captioned the post: ‘I miss my best friend @Charlotte niddam #CransMontana.’

Before leaving the UK, Niddam and his family lived in an affluent area close to Watford, Hertfordshire.

The teenager was described as ‘kind’ and ‘very smart’ by a former neighbour.

All 40 people who lost their lives in the tragedy have been officially identified, and more than half of them were young people.

The youngest victims were two 14-year-olds: a French boy and a Swiss girl.

Images of the missing teenager were shared in a post on the Instagram account @cransmontana.avisderecherche, which was set up to help find survivors.

Dramatic video captures the moment the ceiling of a ski bar in Switzerland caught fire

26 of those who died were between the ages of 14 and 18. The oldest victim was a 39-year-old Frenchman.

In total, there were 10 Swiss men aged between 16 and 31; 11 Swiss women aged 14 to 24; A 24-year-old woman with dual Swiss-French citizenship; Three Italian boys aged 16 and two Italian girls aged 15 and 16, and five French boys aged 14 to 39.

two French women, aged 33 and 26; A 15-year-old girl with triple British-French-Israeli citizenship; A 16-year-old boy with dual Italian-UAE citizenship; An 18-year-old Romanian boy; A 17-year-old Belgian girl; A 22-year-old Portuguese woman and an 18-year-old Turkish boy were also identified.

The statement made by the Valais police included the following statements: ‘Following the fire that broke out on New Year’s Eve in Crans-Montana, the identities of the last 16 victims have been determined.

‘Identification efforts carried out by the Cantonal Police of Valais, the Disaster Victim Identification team and the Forensic Medicine Institute enabled the identification of 16 more victims in the fire that broke out in the bar ‘Le Constellation’ on January 1, 2026.

‘Thus, the identities of all 40 people who died in the fire on New Year’s Eve were determined.’

Police said the names of some of the victims have been identified but no further information will be released.

The Daily Mail has approached the Foreign Office for comment.

In addition to the official count, Italy’s deputy prime minister, Antonio Tajani, confirmed on Sunday that the bodies of three Italians would be sent home on a ‘state flight’.

Their names were identified as 16-year-old Achille Barosi from Milan, Giovanni Tamburi (16) from Bologna, and Emanuele Galeppini, a 17-year-old golfer from Genoa who has dual citizenship and lives in Dubai.

Among those publicly identified is a young boxer named Benjamin Johnson, who ‘left us a hero by coming to the aid of his friend,’ according to a social media post from the Swiss Boxing Federation on Sunday.

Another teenager, Tristan Pidoux, was also reported dead by a family spokesman.

Among the names are Italian 17-year-old Emanuele Galeppini, Italian 16-year-old Chiara Costanzo and Swiss 16-year-old Arthur Brodard.

Mourners attended mass at the Chapelle Saint-Christophe this morning, followed by a silent march up the hill to Le Constellation bar, where the tragedy occurred.

Emergency service workers were among those gathered for the ceremony, led by Bishop Jean-Marie Lovey of Sion, and they laid flowers at a makeshift memorial.

Among those publicly identified is a young boxer named Benjamin Johnson, who “came to the aid of his friend, leaving us a hero,” according to a social media post from the Swiss Boxing Federation on Sunday.

Footage shows flames engulfing the Crans-Montana club as revelers continue to sing, dance and shout – unaware they are already trapped in grave danger

Video footage shows someone desperately trying to extinguish the fire, but within seconds the fire is brought under control, turning into a deadly fireball and engulfing the full bar.

Swiss officials said the process of identifying the victims was difficult due to the severity of the fire.

In another story of heroism similar to Johnson’s, French football player Tahirys Dos Santos was seriously injured in a fire that broke out as he went to save his girlfriend Coline, who was trapped in the Constellation bar.

The 19-year-old football player, originally from Mont-Saint-Martin and playing for Metz, suffered serious burns on his body and was transferred from Switzerland to Germany by air ambulance.

The French club said they were saddened to hear the news and were working to have him transferred to a hospital closer to his home as soon as possible.

“Deeply affected by this news, the club’s management, players, coaches and staff are in shock and send their thoughts to Tahirys, who is struggling with his injuries,” the club said in a statement on Facebook.

Dos Santos’ manager, Christophe Hutteau, told BFM TV that the football player ran away from the bar but returned when he realized his girlfriend was trapped in the bar.

‘He returned to save her from the flames. “He’s not just a victim, he’s a hero,” he said.

Investigators said Friday they believe bright candles on champagne bottles triggered the fire when they got too close to the ceiling of a bar packed with New Year’s revelers at a Swiss ski resort.

Authorities planned to investigate whether the soundproofing material on the ceiling complies with regulations and whether sparklers are allowed in the bar.

The candles, which shot sparks upwards, were the same type of candles commonly used at parties, authorities said.

Officials said they will also look at other security measures at the facility, including fire extinguishers and escape routes.

Valais region chief prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud warned of possible investigations if any criminal liability is found.