The death toll from a devastating bar fire in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana has risen to 41 after an 18-year-old victim died in hospital. The teenager passed away in Zurich on 31 January, a month after the New Year’s Eve blaze, according to Wallis canton public prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud.
The fire, which is believed to have started when sparklers attached to champagne bottles ignited soundproof foam lining the ceiling, tore through the packed Le Constellation bar in the early hours of 1 January. The inferno injured 116 revellers, many of them teenagers. Those killed ranged in age from 14 to 39, with only four victims over 24.
Authorities confirmed that the bar had not undergone safety checks for five years. Swiss prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into the bar's owners, French couple Jacques and Jessica Moretti, on suspicion of negligent homicide, negligent bodily harm and causing a fire by negligence. Criminal proceedings have also been brought against the municipality's head of public safety and a former council fire safety inspector.
As of late January, 44 patients were being treated abroad, including 18 in France, 12 in Italy, eight in Germany and six in Belgium. A further 37 patients remained in Swiss hospitals. Among the dead was British former schoolgirl Charlotte Niddam, who had attended Immanuel College in Hertfordshire.
A memorial service for the victims was held in nearby Martigny on 10 January. Prosecutor Pilloud said her office would release no further information at this stage.
