The investigation and identification of victims of the fire in a bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana, which left 40 dead on New Year’s Eve, began to bear fruit on Friday. The authorities of the canton of Valais, in the southwest of Switzerland, specified in particular that the French managers of the establishment had been heard.
By this Friday evening, France will have welcomed eleven people into its hospitals in Lyon, Metz, Nantes and the Paris region, including three Swiss nationals, said Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister of Foreign Affairs, on X.
We also sent a team specializing in pathologies linked to major burns to the site, to support and at the request of Switzerland. Needs will be reassessed daily and we will continue to provide assistance to our neighbors as much as necessary, added the minister.
READ ALSO. Fire in Crans-Montana in Switzerland: how the difficult work of identifying victims is taking place
“14 French people were injured and taken into care”
The authorities have so far counted 40 deaths during the fire which ravaged a bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana which at this stage left 119 injured, among whom 113 could be identified.
At this stage, we know that 14 French people were injured and taken into care. Eight of our compatriots have not yet been located. The teams from the Crisis and Support Center of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can be reached on 01 53 59 11 10 for people still looking for information concerning a loved one on site, writes the Minister of Foreign Affairs on his social network.
DIRECT. Fire in Crans-Montana in Switzerland: authorities announce 40 dead and 119 injured, including 14 French
Ongoing investigation
The fire broke out around 1:30 a.m. Thursday in the Le Constellation bar, frequented by tourists, including many young people who came to celebrate the new year. | AFP PHOTO See in full screen
The fire broke out around 1:30 a.m. Thursday in the Le Constellation bar, frequented by tourists, including many young people who came to celebrate the new year. | AFP PHOTO
The fire broke out around 1:30 a.m. Thursday in the Le Constellation bar, frequented by tourists, including many young people who came to celebrate the new year. The majority of victims were found in the bar, announced the cantonal police chief, Frédéric Gisler, during a press conference in Sion, the regional capital. In view of the first elements of the investigation, everything suggests that the fire started from incandescent candles or Bengal fires which were placed on the bottles of champagne, announced the general prosecutor of the canton of Valais, Béatrice Pilloud. And everything was brought too close to the ceiling.
It is a hypothesis which is favored and which tends to be confirmed, she added. The viewing of numerous videos by investigators tends to support the assertions of numerous witnesses.