Teen girl educated in UK confirmed to have died in Swiss bar fire
[Charlotte Niddam/TikTok]
A former pupil at two British schools has been confirmed as one of the victims killed in a fire at a Swiss ski resort.
Charlotte Niddam’s family announced her death “with great sadness” in a post on social media, saying details about funeral arrangements would be made available in due course. Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper also confirmed the news. a post on x.
All cases have been detected, officials in Switzerland said on Sunday. 40 victims New Year’s Day fire at a bar in Crans-Montana.
Charlotte, thought to be 15, had attended before. Immanuel College, a private school in Hertfordshire and the Free Jewish School in north-west London.
Charlotte’s family wrote in a statement on Facebook: “It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our beautiful daughter and sister Charlotte.
“Details regarding funeral arrangements will be announced shortly. He will most likely be in Paris on Thursday.
“Thank you for your support over the last few days.”
According to the Crans-Montana resort’s website, Charlotte was working as a babysitter in the area.
Yvette Cooper said it was “terrible news” that Charlotte had been identified as one of the fire victims.
“My thoughts are with all his family and friends following this devastating loss,” he wrote to X.
After the fire, Immanuel College announced that it was “praying for a miracle.”
Swiss President Guy Parmelin called the fire “one of the worst tragedies the country has ever experienced.”
Le Constellation, the bar that was the scene of the fire in the resort of Crans-Montana in the early hours of Thursday, when the fire started in the basement, was full of Swiss and tourists celebrating New Year’s Eve.
Prosecutors say initial investigations indicate the probable cause of the fire sparklers in champagne bottles is carried “too close to the ceiling”.
Valais Chief Prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud said the investigation into the causes of the fire will focus on the materials used in the area, the bar’s fire safety measures, its capacity and the number of people inside at the time.
Valais cantonal police said on Sunday: All victims identified and their ages ranged from 14 to 39 years old.
The victims came from seven countries, but many were multinational.
Swiss police said one of the victims identified was a 15-year-old who had triple citizenship of France, Israel and the United Kingdom.
Other nationalities include Portuguese, Romanians, Belgians, French, Italians and Swiss.
A further 35 people injured in the fire were transferred to specialist burns units outside Switzerland as the country struggled to cope with the scale of the tragedy.
