A terrible fire has happened in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana. Forty people have died in a fire at the Le Constellation bar. The fire started just before midnight on New Year's Eve. This sad event has ruined the holiday celebrations. The people who died were young and from different countries.
On Sunday, officials said they knew the names of all forty victims. This is very sad for the families in Europe. The victims were between 14 and 39 years old. They came from many countries because the resort is popular. At least eight countries are represented. Officials are still trying to find out the nationalities of everyone.
The fire also injured 116 people. Many had bad burns and need hospital care. It was hard to identify some people because of their injuries. On Monday, 83 injured people were still in the hospital. This shows how strong the fire was. Among the victims were people with citizenship from France, Switzerland, Italy, Israel, the UK, Portugal, Romania, Turkey, and the UAE.
Police think sparklers on bottles might have started the fire. They believe the sparklers got too close to the ceiling. This caused the fire to spread very fast. Investigators are checking the ceiling foam. They want to know if it made the fire worse. They also want to know if it was safe. The prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud said they will check "if it complies with regulations."
A full investigation is happening to find the exact cause. They will also check if safety rules were broken. The bar's management is part of this investigation. Officials want to know if safety steps were taken. This is one of the worst events in Crans-Montana for a long time. The community is very sad for its young, international visitors. This tragedy will make people think about safety in public places in Switzerland.