Authorities on Sunday said all 40 victims of the Le Constellation bar fire on New Year’s Eve have been identified. Photo by Jean-Christophe Bott/EPA
Jan. 5 (UPI) — All 40 victims of a Swiss bar fire that erupted New Year’s Eve have been identified, according to police, who continue to investigate the deadly blaze.
Forty people were killed and 119 were injured in the fire at the Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana in the Swiss Alps early Thursday.
Valais Cantonal Police announced in a statement Sunday that an additional 16 victims of the fire have been identified, meaning all deceased have been named.
The victims identified Sunday range in age from 14 to 33, with the youngest being a boy from France.
Among the deceased were nine minors, including four aged 15, two girls from Switzerland, one girl from Italy and a boy with French, Israeli and British citizenship. Two 16-year-olds, both Italian, one boy and one girl; and two 17-year-olds, one Belgian girl and a French boy, were also identified Sunday.
The adults were from France, Switzerland and Portugal. One victim identified Sunday was a dual Swiss-French national.
Of all 40 victims, 20 were minors: two 14-year-olds, six 15-year-olds, nine 16-year-olds and three 17-year-olds.
The oldest adult victim was 39.
Police have opened a criminal investigation into the fire and have charged two managers of the bar with negligent homicide, negligent bodily harm and negligent arson.
The two suspects have not been detained as they do not pose a flight risk and there is no suspicion that they intend to evade the criminal proceedings, authorities said Sunday.
“The investigation is continuing in order to determine any other potential criminal liabilities,” Valais Cantonal Police said in a separate Sunday update on the investigation.
Preliminary evidence indicates that the fire was caused by pyrotechnic devices called “fountains” that produce sparks and flames. They are designed to be placed on the ground or held by hand.
Uncorroborated video of the fire published online shows fire spreading across the bar’s ceiling, apparently lit by the fountain devices that had been attached to the mouths of alcohol bottles that were being paraded around the facility as part of bottle service.
Witnesses told police that the fire spread rapidly, generating a lot of smoke and intense heat.
“Everything is said to have happened quickly,” Valais Cantonal Police said.
According to authorities, the next phase of the investigation will focus on whether the facility was in compliance with local laws and fire safety regulations over materials used in the building, the existence and condition of emergency exits and the presence of firefighting equipment.