Shocking update: The 41st victim of the Crans-Montana tragedy is an 18-year-old young man who has just passed away after 31 days of fighting for his life.
After more than a month in a Zurich hospital, the outcome everyone hoped for did not arrive. With injuries covering most of his body, the teenager showed extraordinary strength, holding on day after day until the very end. His passing has sent a fresh wave of grief across Switzerland, where families are still struggling to process the pain left behind by that New Year’s Eve night.
As the toll rises to 41, this tragedy is no longer just a number — it is a collection of futures cut short and questions that refuse to fade.
An 18-year-old died in a Zurich hospital on Saturday, the Swiss public prosecutor said in a statement today – the tragic news brings the grim death toll of the Crans-Montana fire to 41
The horrific bar fire in a Swiss ski resort has claimed another victim a month after the New Year’s Eve tragedy, bringing the grim death toll of the fire to 41.
An 18-year-old died in hospital from injuries sustained in the Swiss Alpine bar fire at a Zurich hospital on Saturday.
The Swiss public prosecutor broke the grim news in a statement today. The prosecutor said in a statement that no further information on the status of the investigation will be provided at this stage.
It has previously been reported that investigators believe sparkling candles atop Champagne bottles ignited foam on the bar’s ceiling when they came too close at the packed Le Constellation bar in the ski resort of Crans-Montana.
The horrific blaze broke out less than two hours after midnight on January 1 as partygoers attempted to flee the burning bar and get to safety.
Investigations are currently underway into whether soundproofing material on the ceiling conformed with regulations and if the sparkler candles were permitted for use in the bar, which last had a fire safety inspection in 2019.
French couple Jacques and Jessica Moretti, the bar owners, have been made the subjects of a criminal investigation by Swiss prosecutors. They are currently under suspicion of negligent homicide, negligent bodily harm and causing a fire by negligence.
Jacques Moretti was given three months of pre-trial detention by the court of compulsory measures in the south-western Valais region on January 12. However on January 23 it ordered his release on bail.
