Swiss authorities open criminal probe into French ski bar managers after deadly NYE fire: Charges include manslaughter and arson by negligence
Swiss authorities have launched a criminal investigation against the French managers of the ski resort bar where at least 40 people died in a fire during New Year’s celebrations.
The pair are suspected of negligent homicide, negligent infliction of bodily harm and negligently causing a fire, police said in a statement. They said the investigation was opened Friday night but did not provide further details.
At least 40 people were killed and 119 others were injured when a fire broke out at Le Constellation bar in the Alpine town of Crans-Montana at around 1.30 am local time (12.30 GMT) on Thursday morning.
Police identified the four victims of the tragedy earlier today as two Swiss women, aged 16 and 21, and two Swiss men, aged 16 and 18.
Further details, including their names, have not yet been released, but Valais cantonal police said the bodies had been handed over to their families while efforts to identify the other victims continued.
17-year-old Emmanuele Galeppini became the first victim identified after his death was confirmed in an Instagram post by the Italian Golf Federation on Friday.
Swiss authorities described the fire as a probable flare, meaning it triggered the release of flammable gases that could ignite violently.
Much suspicion has already focused on the pitted foam acoustic insulation that covers the ceiling of the basement bar, ignited by a sparkler held aloft over a champagne bottle and then spreading with terrifying ferocity.
Eyewitnesses described the panic that ensued as revelers attempted to escape from the basement nightclub area up stairs and through a narrow door, causing the crowd to swell.
A skier distributes candles near the closed Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, where a devastating fire during New Year’s celebrations killed at least 40 people
The entrance of bar Le Constellation, where a fire broke out during New Year’s celebrations in the alpine ski resort town of Crans-Montana
17-year-old Emmanuele Galeppini became the first victim identified after his death was confirmed in an Instagram post by the Italian Golf Federation on Friday.
A photo has emerged showing the moment champagne sparklers set fire to materials on the ceiling of a Swiss nightclub.
Parents of missing teenagers are appealing desperately for news of their children as foreign embassies try to unravel whether their citizens are among those caught up in one of the worst tragedies to hit modern Switzerland.
Police commander Frédéric Gisler said that all six of the 119 injured had been officially identified, but Swiss authorities had not yet shared the names of the victims or injured people.
According to Frédéric Gisler, police commander of the Valais region, the injured included 71 Swiss citizens, 14 French and 11 Italians, as well as citizens of Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Luxembourg, Belgium, Portugal and Poland.
The nationality of 14 people is not yet clear.
Six Italians are still missing and 13 people are hospitalized, while eight French people are missing and nine are among the injured.
Emmanuele was the only victim named following the fatal fire, with the Italian Golf Federation remembering the youngster as ‘a young athlete who embodied passion and original values’.
The Italian teenager, who lives in Dubai, was a member of the Italian national team with a best finish of 2440th and was well known in the UAE junior and amateur golf scene, according to GolfDigestme.com.
He was photographed with golf legend Rory McIlroy last year and is considered a promising young talent who competes regularly in the Middle East and Europe.
British-educated teenager Charlotte Neddam, who had previously attended Immanuel College, a private Jewish school in Hertfordshire, is also among the missing.
