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All dead or injured in New Year fire identified - Swiss police

All 40 victims of the fire have been identified, with most of them teenagers
All 40 victims of the fire have been identified, with most of them teenagers

Swiss police said they had now identified all 116 people wounded in the devastating fire in a bar in Crans-Montana during New Year celebrations, revising the number down from 119.

"All the victims injured have been identified," the Valais cantonal police said in a statement, after having already identified the 40 people killed, most of whom were teenagers.

The police added that 83 injured people were still in hospital.

Pressure was building ⁠for answers from the investigation into the New Year fire.

Prosecutors said the fire that spread rapidly in the early hours of 1 January was likely caused by sparkling candles igniting the ceiling of the bar's basement.

Authorities are investigating the two people who ran the bar on suspicion of crimes including homicide by negligence. Yesterday, police said circumstances did not currently merit them being put under arrest and they did not see a flight risk.

A large procession makes its way through the streets of a town
A silent procession was held in Crans-Montana to remember the victims

The ⁠youngest victims of the blaze, which also injured more than 100 people, were only 14 years old, and the dead were from all around Europe, including several from France ⁠and Italy.

Swiss authorities have not named the victims.

Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini said in a social media post that "in civilised Switzerland, the prison gates will have to open for quite a ⁠few ‍people".

The exterior of le constellation bar scene of deadly fire in switzerland
Questions have been raised over the bar's fire safety standards

He said there ⁠had been a failure to ensure the bar's basement was safe, questioning the emergency systems and whether there had been enough inspections.

A local resident who took part ‍in a silent procession through the town yesterday in freezing temperatures, said justice must be done for the sake of ⁠future generations.

"It's crucial that such a tragedy never happens again. And the investigation must be thorough, because it's so unbelievable," she said.

hundreds of flowers, candles at a makeshift memorial with police and other people standing in the backgrounds
A person leaves flowers at a makeshift memorial in front of the bar

Tages-Anzeiger, a leading Swiss newspaper, said questions must be answered about the age checks at the bar, the soundproofing material used in the basement and the standards governing use of the so-called fountain candles.

One of the bar's two operators, Jacques Moretti, told Swiss media that Le ‍Constellation had been checked three times in ten years and that everything was done according to the rules.

Valais authorities say investigators were checking if the bar had undergone its annual building inspections, but that ⁠the town had not raised concerns or reported defects to the canton.

Bodies of five Italian teens repatriated

The bodies of five of the six Italian nationals killed in the fire were repatriated.

The teenagers' coffins were transported from a funeral centre in Sion, southwest Switzerland, to the military section of the city's airport.

hearses are seen lined in a row
Hearses carrying the coffins arrive at the military section of Sion's airport

Four Swiss police officers carried each coffin into the Italian air force plane. Officers saluted at the foot of the ramp as the cream-coloured coffins were taken aboard.

The C130 transport plane was due to land first at Milan Linate airport in neighbouring Italy, from where four coffins will be transferred to Milan itself, Bologna and Genoa, Italian authorities said. The plane was then to fly on to Rome with the fifth coffin.

Swiss police officers carry a coffin onto a plane
Swiss police officers carry one of five coffins onto the military plane

Gian Lorenzo Cornado, Italy's ambassador to Switzerland, told reporters at Sion airport: "We have pledged to do everything we can, in conjunction with the Swiss authorities; we will follow the investigation closely so that the truth is known as quickly as possible and justice is served."


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