Swiss ski resort fire: UK educated teen confirmed among victims | World | News
A teenager who was previously educated at two British schools has been confirmed as one of the victims of a bar fire at a Swiss ski resort. Charlotte Niddam, believed to be 15 years old, was in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana to celebrate the New Year on December 31.
The death of the girl, who previously attended Immanuel College, a private school in Hertfordshire, and the Jewish Free School in northwest London, was announced by her family in a post on social media. It read: “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beautiful daughter and sister Charlotte.
“Details regarding funeral arrangements will be announced shortly. It will most likely be in Paris on Thursday. Thank you for your support over the last few days.”
According to The Times of Israel, Charlotte had Israeli, French and British citizenship.
At least 40 people died when a devastating fire broke out at Le Constellation bar on Thursday as people were celebrating the arrival of 2026. 119 more people were injured.
The ages of the victims ranged from 14 to 39, and most of those killed were teenagers.
Other teenage victims whose names have been made public include 17-year-old Emanuele Galeppini and 16-year-old Chiara Costanzo, both Italian citizens. Additionally, the name of 16-year-old Swiss Arthur Brodard was also announced.
On Sunday morning, mourners attended mass at the Chapelle Saint-Christope before joining a silent march towards the bar where the incident took place.
Emergency service workers were among those gathered.
Police said they identified the bodies of all those killed in the incident. Separately, Italian Ambassador to Switzerland Gian Lorenzo Cornado said on Saturday that the identification process was slow due to the severity of the burns suffered by many victims.
The preliminary investigation revealed that sparklers on the bottles carried too close to the ceiling may have been the cause of the fire. The investigation into the cause of the fire continues.
Beatrice Pilloud, chief prosecutor of the canton of Valais, said investigators were investigating whether acoustic foam on the venue’s ceiling was “the cause of the problem” as well as “whether it complied with the regulations”.
