Police in the Swiss canton of Valais have confirmed that all 116 people injured in the New Year's Eve fire at the Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana have been identified. The blaze killed 40 people, mostly young partygoers. The number of wounded was revised down from 119 after three people were wrongly recorded as injured.
The fire is believed to have started in the basement when sparklers attached to champagne bottles were held too close to a ceiling clad with soundproofing foam. Among the injured are 68 Swiss citizens, 21 French, 10 Italians, four Serbs, four dual nationals, two Poles, and one person each from seven other countries. Eighty-three people remain in hospital with severe burns.
The last of the 40 victims were identified on Sunday. They include 21 Swiss nationals, nine French citizens (including two with dual nationality), six Italians, and one each from Belgium, Portugal, Romania and Turkey. The victims were aged between 14 and 39, with an average age of 19; 20 were minors. Authorities have not released names, but several have been identified by families.
On Monday, the bodies of five of the six Italian victims were repatriated. A military plane carrying the coffins of Achille Barosi, Chiara Costanzo, Giovanni Tamburi, and Emanuele Galeppini landed at Milan airport, while the body of Riccardo Minghetti was flown to Rome. The sixth Italian victim, Sofia Prosperi, who lived in Switzerland, will be buried there. Italy's ambassador, Gian Lorenzo Cornado, pledged to follow the investigation closely.
Pressure is mounting on authorities to explain how the fire occurred. The bar's owners, French nationals Jacques and Jessica Moretti, are under investigation for suspected homicide by negligence but have not been arrested. Swiss and Italian officials have raised questions about safety checks, age verification, and the use of sparklers. The municipality of Crans-Montana has joined the criminal proceedings as a civil party.
A memorial ceremony will be held on Friday, with French President Emmanuel Macron expected to attend. The investigation continues.
