by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief
VOLENDAM/CRANS-MONTANA (Worthy News) – As Switzerland was plunged into mourning, Swiss prosecutors said Saturday they have placed under criminal investigation the two managers of a bar where a blaze on New Year’s Day killed at least 40 people.
The offences they are suspected of having committed are “homicide by negligence,” as well as “causing bodily harm by negligence and arson by negligence.” the prosecutors’ office in the canton of Valais said in published remarks.
The statement came as dozens of young partygoers injured in a New Year’s Eve bar fire in Switzerland were transferred to specialist burn units across Europe, as authorities confirmed that at least 40 people were killed. The identification of victims has only just begun.
Investigators also started the grim task of identifying severely burned bodies following what officials describe as one of the country’s deadliest peacetime disasters.
Families and friends have gathered for a candle-lit vigil in the Alpine resort town of Crans-Montana, waiting anxiously for news of loved ones who went out to celebrate the New Year and never returned.
IDENTIFICATION EFFORTS CONTINUE AMID GROWING TOLL
Mourners have left flowers and lit candles at a makeshift memorial behind a police cordon, as authorities warned that the burns are so severe it could take days before all victims are formally identified.
Officials said the confirmed toll stands at 40 dead and at least 119 injured, though they cautioned the number could still rise as investigations continue.
Investigators believe the blaze broke out inside the Le Constellation bar, which was packed with mostly young revellers celebrating the arrival of 2026.
SPARKLER CANDLES BLAMED FOR RAPID FIRE
According to early findings, sparkler candles attached to champagne bottles ignited the ceiling after waiters carried them through the crowded basement.
Witnesses said flames reached acoustic foam lining the ceiling, causing the fire to spread rapidly as smoke filled the room and exits became difficult to reach.
One survivor described scenes of panic and confusion as people struggled to escape. “We tried to get out. I hid under a long table to avoid being burned. It was chaos. Some of us didn’t make it,” the yong man said. “I won’t give you names, but
NATIONAL MOURNING DECLARED AS PROBE WIDENS
Swiss authorities are now investigating whether the bar complied with fire-safety regulations and whether safety measures were adequate for a venue of that size.
The government has declared five days of national mourning, calling the tragedy Switzerland’s worst peacetime disaster in decades.
Officials said the impact will be felt across several countries, as Crans-Montana is a popular international ski destination attracting visitors from across Europe and beyond.
The fire comes exactly 25 years after a New Year’s Eve blaze in the Dutch fishing town of Volendam that killed 14 young people and injured hundreds. A foundation representing survivors of that disaster has offered assistance to victims in Switzerland, many of whom are being treated in hospitals across the region.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
More Worthy News
At least 11 Christians were killed and 18 others seriously wounded when a drone operated by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) struck civilians traveling to Christmas celebrations in South Kordofan state on Dec. 25, according to local sources.
A Christian pastor was seriously injured after being attacked by a group of Muslim assailants wielding sharp objects in eastern Uganda, according to an exclusive report by Morning Star News.
Iranian security forces confronted large demonstrations at Tehran’s Grand Bazaar on Tuesday with tear gas and a heavy police presence, as nationwide protests entered a second week and the country’s currency plunged to a historic low.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told lawmakers during a closed briefing Monday that recent White House rhetoric about Greenland does not signal an imminent U.S. invasion, emphasizing instead that the administration’s preferred goal is to purchase the island from Denmark, according to people familiar with the discussion.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said Tuesday that a federal crime crackdown in the nation’s capital has led to dramatic reductions in violent crime, crediting the effort to President Donald Trump’s public safety initiative.
Israel, Syria and the United States have agreed to establish a new “joint fusion mechanism” aimed at enhancing security coordination, intelligence sharing and military de-escalation, marking the most significant formal cooperation between Jerusalem and Damascus in decades.
The White House marked the fifth anniversary of the January 6, 2021, Capitol breach by launching a new website aimed at challenging what it says is a Democrat-driven distortion of events and years of politically motivated prosecutions against Americans who participated in protests that day.