A 14-year-old and a 15-year-old were among the victims of a fire at a ski resort bar in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, police said on Sunday, raising questions about whether adequate age checks had been done.
Police in canton Valais, where a fire broke out in a bar crowded with young people celebrating the New Year, said 16 more victims have been identified and their bodies returned to their families.
More than 100 people were injured in a New Year’s fire at a bar, and all 40 people, including 20 minors, have been identified, Wallis police said Sunday.
The French Foreign Ministry said Swiss authorities had confirmed that eight French nationals were among the dead. One person remains missing and 23 people are receiving or receiving treatment. An additional injured person is being transported to France.
Police said the latest victims included a 14-year-old Swiss boy, two 15-year-olds, two 16-year-olds and a 17-year-old, as well as two 16-year-old Italians and a 16-year-old teenager with dual nationality.
Police said nine of the newly identified victims were under the age of 18.
As authorities continue to investigate the fire, Sunday’s new victim details will add to Crans-Montana’s awareness and concern that many of the dead were among the community’s youngest members.
On Saturday, police announced they had opened an investigation against the bar’s owner on suspicion of manslaughter, manslaughter and arson. One of the bar’s co-owners previously said: “Everything was done according to the rules.”
Under Swiss federal law, beer and wine can be sold to people over 16, but spirits can only be sold to people over 18, according to the country’s Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH).
Certain laws in Valais state that after 10 p.m., anyone under the age of 16 may access establishments that serve alcohol if accompanied by a legal guardian or another adult authorized by the legal guardian. Police said the fire broke out at the resort’s bar around 1:30 a.m. local time.
Local authorities commented on the youth of the victims, with Swiss Confederation President Guy Palmerin saying many of them were “full of plans, hopes and dreams.”
On Sunday, mourners attended a service at the Chapel of Saint-Christophe in Crans-Montana to pay their respects to the victims of the tragedy.
“Countless people are joining us, people whose hearts are broken,” Bishop Jean-Marie Lavie said during the service, according to Reuters. “We have received many expressions of sympathy and solidarity.”
After the service, a silent procession took place into the center of Crans-Montana where people were asked to lay flowers and sign a book of condolence, the church’s website said.
Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said in a spokesman on Sunday that the identities of the six Italian victims of the fire had been confirmed and their bodies were scheduled to be airlifted on Monday.
Italy’s ambassador to Switzerland, Gian Lorenzo Coronado, said the Italian victims included a 15-year-old teenager, four 16-year-old boys and another 17-year-old boy.
Cornado said Italy would take legal action against the bar’s owners on behalf of the family.
“Accidents happen, but this was not an accident, it was an avoidable tragedy. A little precaution and a little common sense were all it took,” he said, according to a video of his comments published in Italian media.
Meanwhile, the bar’s French co-owner told Swiss newspaper Tribune de Genève on Friday that the establishment had been inspected “three times in 10 years.”
“Everything was done according to the rules,” said Jack Moretti.
CNN contacted Le Constellation Bar to ask if the victim, who was under 16, was accompanied by a legal guardian or other authorized adult.
CNN previously reached out to Moretti and co-owner Jessica Ann Jeanne Moretti through their businesses for comment.
CNN’s Niamh Kennedy, Joseph Ataman, Martin Goilandeau, Caitlin Danaher and Barbie Razza Nadeau contributed reporting.
