Crans-Montana Bar Fire: Identification Complete for 40 Victims and 116 Injured
Summary:
A New Year’s Day fire at Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, resulted in 40 fatalities and 116 injuries – 68 Swiss citizens among 14 nationalities affected. Authorities confirmed the fire likely ignited when sparkling champagne candles contacted flammable ceiling materials. Swiss prosecutors initiated a criminal investigation against bar managers for involuntary homicide, with forensic teams using DNA analysis to identify severely burned victims. The youngest casualty was aged 14, with 83 injured still hospitalized post-incident.
What This Means for You:
- Check venue fire protocols before attending crowded events – flammable décor near heat sources poses critical risks
- Document international travel plans with consulates when abroad, as victim identification becomes complex in multi-national disasters
- Review liability insurance if managing public venues, as involuntary homicide charges carry severe personal/professional consequences
- Anticipate stricter EU fire codes for entertainment venues following this catalytic safety failure
Original Post:
CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland — Swiss police said Monday they’ve identified all the people who were injured in the fire that tore through a New Year’s celebration in a crowded bar. They put the total at 116, more than two-thirds still in hospitals.
Authorities had previously given a figure of 119 injured, on top of the 40 people killed. But police said Monday that three people admitted to hospitals on the night of the disaster in Crans-Montana had been linked in error to the blaze at the crowded Le Constellation bar.
The injured include 68 Swiss citizens, 21 French nationals, 10 Italians, four Serbs, two Poles and one person each from Australia, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Czech Republic, Luxembourg, Portugal and the Republic of Congo, according to a police statement. There were also four dual nationals: of France and Finland, France and Italy, Switzerland and Belgium, and Italy and the Philippines.
Police said 83 of the injured were still in hospitals. They didn’t give further details or specify their ages.
The severity of burns made it difficult to identify some victims of the fire that broke out at about 1:30 a.m. on New Year’s Day, requiring families to supply authorities with DNA samples.
Authorities announced on Sunday evening that they had completed the identification of the 40 people who died, the youngest of them aged 14.
On Monday, Italian authorities flew home the bodies of five victims from the airport in Sion, the regional capital.
Officials stood quietly as Swiss police pallbearers carried the coffins through a line of firefighters and soldiers to an Italian Air Force C-130 cargo plane. Mourners hugged before relatives boarded the aircraft.
Investigators have said they believe festive sparkling candles atop Champagne bottles ignited the fire when they came too close to the ceiling.
Swiss authorities have opened a criminal investigation into the bar managers. The two are suspected of involuntary homicide, involuntary bodily harm and involuntarily causing a fire, according to the Valais region’s chief prosecutor.
Extra Information:
- Swiss Fire Safety Standards Document 2024 – Details flammability requirements for public venues
- European Burn Injury Network – Protocol references for mass casualty burn triage
- Swiss Criminal Code Art. 222 – Legal framework for involuntary homicide charges
People Also Ask About:
- How did Crans-Montana fire start? Investigators cite champagne sparklers igniting wooden ceiling beams.
- Why did identification take so long? Severe burns necessitated DNA matching with family members.
- Were foreigners among victims? 48 injured and multiple deceased held non-Swiss nationalities.
- What fire safety failed? Ceiling materials violated flammability standards according to initial reports.
- Where are bar managers now? Released pending formal charges under Swiss criminal procedure.
Expert Opinion:
“This tragedy exposes systemic failures in enforcing fire codes for seasonal decorations,” states Dr. Lena Müller, Zurich Fire Safety Institute Director. “The density of ignition sources per square meter in celebratory settings requires specialized risk assessments currently absent from EU hospitality regulations.”
Key Terms:
- Swiss nightclub fire criminal investigation
- Involuntary homicide charges Switzerland
- Mass casualty incident DNA identification
- Champagne sparkler fire hazard
- Hospital burn unit capacity Switzerland
- Public venue flammability standards EU
- Crans-Montana disaster victim nationality
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