Police in Valais canton have identified the last 16 victims of the New Year's Eve bar fire in Crans-Montana, bringing the total death toll to 40. The blaze, one of Switzerland's worst disasters in recent history, occurred at the Le Constellation bar in the upmarket mountain resort. Forensic work was slow due to severe burns sustained by most victims.
Among the final group identified was Charlotte Niddam, a 15-year-old former pupil at Immanuel College in Hertfordshire. Her family announced her death on social media, stating: 'It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beautiful daughter and sister Charlotte.' She had been working as a babysitter in the area, according to the resort's website.
The other victims included two Swiss girls aged 15, a Swiss woman aged 22, a Swiss and French woman aged 24, two Italian girls aged 16 and 15, an Italian boy aged 16, a 22-year-old Portuguese woman, a 17-year-old Belgian girl, two French women aged 33 and 26, two French men aged 23 and 20, two French teenage boys aged 17 and 14, and a 15-year-old girl with French, British, and Israeli nationalities. Previously identified victims included 10 Swiss nationals, two Italians, one person with Italian-Emirati citizenship, one Romanian, one person from France, and one from Turkey.
Hundreds of people joined a silent procession through Crans-Montana on Sunday to honour the victims. After a service at the Chapelle St-Christophe, the crowd marched to the bar, where a makeshift memorial was piled with flowers and tributes. Applause broke out as police and emergency services workers were celebrated as heroes. Local resident Véronique Barras said: 'Through this tragic event, I believe we must all remember that we are all brothers and sisters in humanity.'
Switzerland will hold a national day of mourning on Friday, with church bells ringing across the country and a minute's silence. Investigators believe the fire started when sparkling candles were held too close to the ceiling of the venue's basement level.
