A signboard of the "Le Constellation" bar, aft a occurrence and detonation during a New Year's Eve enactment wherever respective radical died and others were injured, according to Swiss police, successful the upscale skis edifice of Crans-Montana successful southwestern Switzerland, Jan. 2, 2026.
Stephanie Lecocq | Reuters
Teenagers arsenic young arsenic 14 and 15 were among those who died successful the New Year's Eve barroom fire that killed 40 radical successful Switzerland, constabulary said connected Sunday, arsenic the Pope offered his sympathies to the victims and their families.
Police successful Valais said they had identified 16 much of those who died successful the blaze successful Crans-Montana, 1 of the worst disasters successful caller Swiss history.
The recently identified victims included 10 Swiss nationals, 2 Italians, 1 idiosyncratic with Italian-Emirati citizenship, 1 Romanian, 1 idiosyncratic from France and 1 from Turkey, Valais constabulary said. No names were released.
Hundreds of mourners attended a religion work successful the municipality connected Sunday morning, wherever Bishop Jean-Marie Lovey said condolences had poured in from astir the world, including from the Pope.
"Countless radical articulation america — radical whose hearts are broken," Lovey told the service. "Many expressions of sympathy and solidarity scope us.
"Pope Leo XIV joins successful our sorrow," helium added. "In a moving message, helium expresses his compassion and his attraction for the victims' families and strengthens the courageousness of each who are suffering."
Mourners stitchery arsenic the probe continues into the deadly New Year's Eve occurrence astatine Le Constellation barroom connected Jan. 3, 2026 successful Crans-Montana, Switzerland.
Harold Cunningham | Getty Images News | Getty Images
The youngest idiosyncratic identified truthful acold is simply a 14-year-old Swiss girl, portion 2 15-year-old girls, besides from Switzerland, were besides among the dead.
Ten of the different bodies identified connected Sunday were teenagers aged 16 to 18, constabulary said. Also identified were 2 Swiss men aged 20 and 31, and a French nationalist aged 39.
In total, constabulary person identified 24 of those who died successful the blaze successful the upland resort.
Late connected Saturday, constabulary said 2 Swiss women aged 24 and 22, on with 2 Swiss men aged 21 and 18, had been identified.
The parent of a 16-year-old Swiss lad Arthur Brodard confirmed overnight that helium was among those killed.
"Our Arthur has departed to enactment successful heaven," Laetitia Brodard-Sitre said connected her Facebook page.
"Now we tin commencement our mourning, knowing helium is successful peace," she said.
Switzerland volition clasp a nationalist time of mourning connected Friday, nationalist president Guy Parmelin said connected Sunday, with religion bells ringing crossed the state and a minute's soundlessness planned.
"In this infinitesimal of reflection, everyone successful Switzerland tin personally retrieve the victims of the disaster," Parmelin told paper Sonntagsblick.
The fire likely started when "fountain candle" sparklers were held aloft excessively adjacent to the ceiling astatine the Constellation bar, the region's main authoritative has said.
Some 119 radical were injured, including galore with terrible burns, and respective were transferred to pain units successful hospitals crossed Europe. Work connected identifying the dormant and injured is continuing, the constabulary said.
Two radical who ran the barroom are nether criminal investigation connected suspicion of offences including homicide by negligence, prosecutors said connected Saturday.
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