The death toll from the New Year's Day fire at Le Constellation bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana has risen to 41, after an 18-year-old Swiss national died in hospital. The victim, injured in the blaze, passed away at a hospital in Zurich on January 31, according to a statement from Wallis canton public prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud.
Pilloud confirmed the update on Sunday but said no further information would be released at this stage. The fire, which occurred on January 1 2026, killed people aged 14 to 39, with most victims being teenagers. Only four of the deceased were over 24. Another 115 people were injured, many of whom remain in hospital.
Among the dead were 23 Swiss nationals, including one French-Swiss dual national, and 18 foreigners. The foreign victims included eight French nationals, six Italian teenagers, and one each from Belgium, Portugal, Romania, and Turkey. One of the French victims held dual French-British-Israeli nationality, and one Italian held dual Italian-Emirati nationality.
Public prosecutors believe the fire started when revellers raised champagne bottles with sparklers attached too close to sound insulation foam on the ceiling of the bar's basement. Four people are under criminal investigation: the bar's co-owners, the Crans-Montana municipality's head of public safety, and a former fire safety officer.
Seriously wounded patients were airlifted to hospitals and specialist burns units across Switzerland and four other European countries. As of Monday, 44 patients were being treated abroad – 18 in France, 12 in Italy, eight in Germany, and six in Belgium. The Wallis health ministry reported 37 patients still in Swiss hospitals, with some in intensive care and others moving between facilities for different stages of treatment.
