Police in Switzerland have identified the last 16 victims of the New Year's Eve fire at a bar in the mountain resort of Crans-Montana, bringing the total death toll to 40. Among those confirmed dead is 15-year-old Charlotte Niddam, a former pupil at Immanuel College in Hertfordshire, who had been working as a babysitter in the area.
The identification process was delayed due to the severe burns suffered by most victims. The youngest victim was a 14-year-old French boy, while the oldest was a 33-year-old French woman. The group also included teenagers and young adults from Switzerland, Italy, Portugal, Belgium, and France.
Hundreds of people joined a silent procession through the town on Sunday to honour the victims, following a service at the Chapelle St-Christophe. Mourners placed flowers and tributes at a makeshift memorial outside the Le Constellation bar, where the fire occurred.
Switzerland will hold a national day of mourning on Friday, with church bells ringing across the country and a minute's silence. The Swiss president, Guy Parmelin, urged the nation to remember the victims. Investigators believe the fire was caused by sparkling candles held too close to the ceiling of the bar's basement level.
