The toll in lives lost to the New Year’s fire in Switzerland came into focus Sunday as authorities provided new details on those killed, who represented a wide geography but largely perished in their teens, some as young as 14 and 15.
So far, 24 of the 40 people who died in the fire at the Constellation bar near the Crans-Montana resort in southern Switzerland have been identified, police in the Swiss canton of Valais said Sunday morning. Of those whose ages the police provided, the majority were teenagers — and all were under 40.
Victims from the blaze include four Swiss women and girls, ages 18, 15, 15 and 14; six Swiss citizens, ages 31, 20, 18, 17, 16 and 16; three Italians, all age 16, one of whom was also a dual citizen of the United Arab Emirates; a Romanian man and a Turkish man, both 18, and a French man, 39, according to the cantonal police.
Police said the bodies of 16 other victims identified by Sunday morning had been returned to their relatives.
Authorities declined to release any further information “out of respect for families,” the police said.
Switzerland will observe a national day of mourning Friday, President Guy Parmelin said Sunday. At 2 p.m. local time that day, as a memorial service is held for the victims in Crans-Montana, church bells will sound throughout the country, and a minute of silence will be observed, Parmelin said.
The fire broke out during a New Year’s Eve celebration, apparently when sparklers placed on top of champagne bottles ignited the ceiling in the crowded venue’s basement, causing a “flashover,” when nearly everything in a room bursts into flames simultaneously. In addition to the 40 people killed, 119 were injured, many critically.
Police said Saturday that they had launched a criminal case against the two operators of the bar, accusing them of negligent homicide, negligent bodily harm and negligent causing of a conflagration.
Identification of the dead and injured is ongoing. The Valais police commander, Frédéric Gisler, said Saturday that 113 of the 119 wounded had been formally identified, and that they included 71 people from Switzerland, 14 from France, 11 from Italy and four from Serbia.
The Swiss government created a condolence book online for people to share their thoughts and well wishes. Parmelin was the first to post an entry.
“Many of the victims were young, full of plans, hopes, and dreams,” the president wrote. “Their lives should not be defined by how they ended. They should be honored for what they were: a promise, an energy, a part of our shared future.”
Hundreds of condolence notes poured in from all over the world, many highlighting the youth of the victims and the lives cut short.
“So many innocent lives, so many children torn far too soon from the sweetness of childhood and the future that awaited them,” Inord Piccoli of France wrote.
“Our hearts are broken for the loss and injury of so many beautiful young people whose lives were just beginning,” Giselle Portenier of Canada said, “and for those left behind who must now come to terms with this unbelievable tragedy.”
M’hamdi Dorra of Tunisia said the tragedy “deeply affects” him because he lived previously in Switzerland and “experienced love, solidarity, and humanity” there.
Andreas Leuzinger of New York City wished “everyone strength and resilience to overcome these dark hours.”
Ionel Sava, Romania’s former ambassador to Switzerland, wrote that “the public in Romania watched the rescue operations with a heart full of hope” and now “stand in solidarity” with the Swiss in the face of the tragedy.
From Bangkok, Tristan Padovan wrote simply: “Rest in peace.”
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