Police identify 16 more victims of Swiss bar fire

The bodies of 16 more victims of a bar fire in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana have been identified by police.

The youngest is a 14-year-old Swiss girl, and the other nine are under 18. Police said the group included Swiss, Italian, Romanian, Turkish and French nationalities.

This brings the number of people killed in the fire to 24, authorities said in a statement. On Saturday, eight Swiss citizens were identified.

A criminal investigation into the operators of Le Constellation bar is ongoing, while the victims’ families agonizingly await information about their loved ones who are still believed to be missing.

Police said they would not release further details about the victims out of respect for their relatives.

Fireworks in a bottle being lifted too close to the ceiling Preliminary investigations have found that this may have been the cause of the fire during New Year’s celebrations at the bar.

The devastating fire killed at least 40 people and injured 119 others.

Many of the dead and missing were teenagers. Le Constellation is a popular venue among the younger crowd in the ski resort town, where the drinking age is 16.

Swiss authorities said the eight people identified and returned to their families on Saturday were all aged between 16 and 24.

On Saturday, Italy’s ambassador to Switzerland, Gian Lorenzo Conado, said the identification process was slow because many of the victims suffered severe burns.

The French couple who own the bar – known to the media as Jacques and Jessica Moretti – Suspected of manslaughter, negligent bodily harm and negligent arsonValais cantonal prosecutor’s office said.

Beatrice Pilloud, chief prosecutor of Valais canton, said in a statement that investigators were looking into whether acoustic foam on the ceiling of the venue was “the cause of the problem” and “whether it complied with regulations.”

italian media Junior golfer Emanuele Galeppini namedThe 16-year-old became the first confirmed victim of the fire in a statement issued by the Italian Golf Federation to pay tribute to the “young athlete full of passion and true values”.

His father reportedly said his son worked at Le Constellation. A spokesman for Italy’s foreign ministry previously told the BBC it would not confirm the death.