Families of teenagers still missing after a deadly blaze that killed 40 at a Swiss ski resort have issued an urgent appeal for information.
Several families say they have not heard anything about their loved ones since the fire tore through the Le Constellation bar in the early hours of New Year’s Day.
“I'm living a nightmare, a nightmare. Either I find my son in the morgue, or I find him in critical condition. It's terrible,” Laetitia Brodard-Sitre told Le Temps after searching hospitals for her 16-year-old son, Arthur.
The grandfather of 22-year-old Emilie Pralong hoped she may be in hospital, unharmed.
“We always hope - we are full of hope,” Pierre told BFMTV. “It helps to overcome whatever the hardship.”
The first victim of the Crans-Montana bar fire was named as Emanuele Galeppini, a teenage golfer from Italy.
Sparkler candles on champagne bottles have been identified as the likely cause of the incident that has killed at least 40 people and injured 119.
Authorities say the flares were “taken too close to the ceiling causing the fire to spread very rapidly”. Investigations remain ongoing.
Key Points
- Mother appeals for information as 16-year-old son remains missing
- Sparkler candles revealed as potential cause of deadly blaze
- Former British schoolgirl is among those missing
- First victim named as teenage golfer Emanuele Galeppini
- Bar had more than one emergency exit, say authorities
- Italy's foreign minister says safety situation in bar was 'terrible'
DNA tests required to identify badly burned bodies
06:50 , Namita SinghThe severity of the burns made it difficult to identify bodies, requiring families to supply authorities with DNA samples.
In some cases, wallets and any identification documents inside turned to ash in the flames.
Emanuele Galeppini, a promising teenage Italian golfer who competed internationally, was officially listed as missing.
His uncle Sebastiano Galeppini told Italian news agency ANSA that their family is awaiting the results of DNA tests, though the Italian Golf Federation on its website announced that he had died.
Witnesses describe seeing servers arriving with burning sparklers before blaze engulfed the bar
06:30 , Namita SinghClavier, a Parisian teenager, said he did not see the fire start, but he saw servers arrive with Champagne bottles topped with the burning sparklers in Le Constellation bar at the ski resort of Crans-Montana.
Two women told French broadcaster BFMTV they were inside when they saw a male bartender lifting a female bartender on his shoulders as she held a lit candle in a bottle.
The flames spread, collapsing the wooden ceiling of the bar, they told the broadcaster.
One of the women described a crowd surge as people frantically tried to escape from the basement nightclub up a flight of stairs and through a narrow door.
Another witness speaking to BFMTV described people smashing windows to escape the blaze, some gravely injured, and panicked parents rushing to the scene in cars to see whether their children were trapped inside.
Official hails ‘heroic actions’ of those who ‘saved lives with their courage’
05:50 , Namita SinghValais regional government head Mathias Reynard told RTS radio on Friday that officials have been told "numerous accounts of heroic actions, one could say, of very strong solidarity in the moment".
He lauded the work of emergency officials on the day after the fire but added that "in the first minutes it was citizens – and in large part young people – who saved lives with their courage".
Impromptu memorial emerges as many continue to look for missing loved ones
05:30 , Namita SinghAn impromptu memorial took shape near the bar, where mourners left candles and flowers. Hundreds of others prayed for the victims at the nearby Church of Montana-Station.
A French teenager on Friday brought a bouquet of tulips to the regional hospital in Sion for her best friend, a fellow 17-year-old girl who was badly burned and in intensive care.
The two attend school together in Lausanne, said the girl, who was in distress and did not give her full name to the AP.
But when she arrived at the hospital, her friend had been heavily sedated for a dressing change and could not see visitors. It was the latest in hours of heartbreak for the teen, who had intended to join a dozen schoolmates at the bar but ultimately decided against it.
She said she has since learned that two of the 12 are in a Zurich hospital. She did not know if the others survived.
On Instagram, an account filled up with photos of people who were unaccounted for, and friends and relatives begged for tips about their whereabouts.
An evening of celebration turns tragic
05:10 , Namita SinghAxel Clavier, a 16-year-old from Paris, had been ringing in the new year moments before he felt as if he was suffocating inside the Swiss Alpine bar.
The teenager escaped the inferno by forcing a window open with a table.
The dead included one of Clavier's friends, and he told the Associated Press that two or three other friends were still missing hours after the disaster.
Mother looks for her missing 16-year-old son, holding out ‘a glimmer of hope’
04:50 , Namita SinghArthur Brodard, 16, from the Swiss city of Lausanne, was among the missing.
His mother, Laetitia, was in Crans-Montana on Friday and frantic to find him. She held out "a glimmer of hope" that he might be one of the six injured people who had yet to be identified.
"I'm looking everywhere. The body of my son is somewhere," she told reporters. "I want to know, where is my child, and be by his side, wherever that may be — be it in the intensive care unit or the morgue."
The injured included 71 people from Switzerland, 14 from France and 11 from Italy, along with citizens of Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Luxembourg, Belgium, Portugal and Poland, according to Frïdïric Gisler, police commander of the Valais region. The nationalities of 14 people were unclear.
Swiss investigators believe they have found the cause of fatal bar fire
04:30 , Namita SinghInvestigators said on Friday that they believe sparkling candles atop Champagne bottles ignited a fatal fire at a Swiss ski resort when they came too close to the ceiling of a bar crowded with New Year's Eve revellers.
Authorities planned to look into whether sound-dampening material on the ceiling conformed with regulations and whether the candles, which give off a stream of upward-shooting sparks, were permitted for use in the bar.
Forty people were killed and another 119 injured in the blaze early on Thursday as it ripped through the busy Le Constellation bar at the ski resort of Crans-Montana, authorities said. It was one of the deadliest tragedies in Switzerland's history.
Officials said they would also look at other safety measures on the premises, including fire extinguishers and escape routes.
Full story: Sparkler candles on champagne bottles revealed as likely cause of Swiss ski resort fire that killed 40
04:10 , Maira ButtA devastating fire that killed 40 people in a bar at a ski resort in Switzerland on New Year’s Day was likely caused by sparkler candles on champagne bottlers, officials have said.
At least 40 people have been killed and 119 injured after the blaze tore through the Le Constellation bar at the Crans-Montana resort in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Swiss authorities said that the fountain candles – also known as “flares” – were placed on champagne bottles and appear to have caught fire when moved too close to the ceiling.
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Sparklers on champagne bottles ‘likely’ cause of Swiss ski resort fire that killed 40
Owner of bar says renovations carried out 'in line with regulations'
03:50 , Maira ButtThe owner of Le Constellation bar told Swiss and Italian media on Friday that all renovations to the establishment had been carried out “in accordance with regulations”.
Jacques Moretti said the establishment had been inspected three times over the past 10 years, in an interview with Swiss newspaper Tribune de Geneve.
Authorities interviewed the French couple who bought the bar at the Crans-Montana resort in 2015, according to the Valais company registry.
Attorney general Beatrice Pilloud said they had not been interviewed under caution, but added: “If there is a flight risk, it is possible for us to take the measures needed.”
Watch: Man swats at flames before Swiss ski resort fire turns deadly
03:30 , Maira ButtVideo shows the moment a New Year’s Eve reveller attempted to put out the flames of a deadly fire at a Swiss ski resort bar that has killed at least 47 people.
Shortly after midnight on Thursday (1 January), a fire tore through the bar in Crans Montana, where hundreds had gathered to ring in 2026. More than 100 others have been injured in the blaze.
Footage shows an individual wearing a white t-shirt trying to put out the flames before they quickly began to engulf the basement, which was mainly filled with young party-goers.
While officials said it was too early to determine the fire's cause, investigators have already ruled out that it could have been an attack.
Switzerland continues arduous task of identifying victims
03:10 , Maira ButtSwiss investigators have said that identification of the victims of a deadly blaze that killed 40 people could take days, if not weeks, due to the severity of the burns inflicted.
“The first objective is to assign names to all the bodies,” Crans-Montana's mayor Nicolas Feraud told a press conference.
Experts are using dental and DNA samples for the task according to Mathias Reynard, head of government of the canton of Valais.
“All this work needs to be done because the information is so terrible and sensitive that nothing can be told to the families unless we are 100 percent sure,” he said.
Lausanne hospital director says 'victims are young'
02:50 , Maira ButtThe director of a Lausanne hospital has said that the injured victims are “young” according to Sky News.
Those being treated for injuries at the hospital are aged between 16 and 26, he said.
The bar is said to have been favoured by young people, according to locals.
Survivors say the fire looked like a 'horror movie'
02:00 , Maira ButtSurvivors of the fire have described how people frantically tried to escape from a basement nightclub.
Two women told French broadcaster BFMTV they were inside when they saw a male bartender lifting a female bartender on his shoulders as she held a lit candle in a bottle.
The flames spread, collapsing the wooden ceiling, they told the broadcaster.
Another witness speaking to BFMTV described people smashing windows to escape the blaze, some gravely injured, and panicked parents rushing to the scene in cars to see whether their children were trapped inside.
The young man said he saw about 20 people scrambling to get out of the smoke and flames and likened what he saw to a horror movie as he watched from across the street.
Watch: Eyewitness gives chilling account of panic during Le Constellation bar fire
01:00 , Maira ButtKing ‘greatly saddened’ by Swiss bar fire tragedy
00:02 , Maira ButtThe King has said he is “greatly saddened” by a fire at a Swiss ski resort which killed around 40 people at a new year party.
Charles said it was “utterly heartbreaking that a night of celebration for young people and families instead turned to such nightmarish tragedy”.
Teenager recalls breaking a window to escape the fire
Friday 2 January 2026 23:00 , Maira ButtOne teenager who survived the blaze, described "total chaos" inside the bar.
16-year-old Axel Clavier from Paris explained that one of his friends died and a couple were missing.
He told The Associated Press he hadn't seen the fire start, but did see waitresses arrive with Champagne bottles with sparklers, he said.
He recalled feeling like he was suffocating and hiding behind a table, before running upstairs and using a table to break a Plexiglas window.
It fell out of its casing, allowing him to escape.
He lost his jacket, shoes, phone and bank card while fleeing, but "I am still alive and it's just stuff."
"I'm still in shock," he added.
Former British schoolgirl is among those missing
Friday 2 January 2026 22:41 , Rebecca WhittakerA teenager who was a former pupil at a British school is among those missing.
Charlotte Niddam, believed to be 15, previously attended Immanuel College in Hertfordshire, according to multiple reports.
In a statement published by several newspapers, the private Jewish school confirmed she was missing.
The school urged the community to come together and said it was “praying for a miracle”.
According to the Crans-Montana resort website, she had been working as a babysitter in the area.
Watch: Italian foreign minister says using fireworks at bar 'pretty irresponsible'
Friday 2 January 2026 22:00 , Maira ButtUK foreign secretary Yvette Cooper offers support to Switzerland
Friday 2 January 2026 21:00 , Maira ButtBritish foreign secretary Yvette Cooper has offered her support and condolences to those affected by the tragedy in Switzerland.
“As the Swiss emergency services continue to respond to the devastating tragedy in Crans-Montana, I have expressed our support to my counterpart @IgnazioCassis,” she wrote in a post on X/Twitter on Friday.
“Our thoughts are with all the victims and their families. The FCDO stand ready to support any British Nationals affected.”
Fire survivors being treated across Europe as Swiss hospitals reach capacity
Friday 2 January 2026 20:30 , Maira ButtSurvivors of a deadly blaze that tore through a luxury ski resort are being treated across Europe after local hospitals reached capacity, according to The Guardian.
Injured victims were taken to Belgium, France and Germany after regional medical facilities reached their limit.
A Swiss news agency reported that more than 30 people were taken to specialist burns hospitals in Zurich and Lausanne while six were taken to Geneva.
Authorities have said identification could taken days or weeks due to the severity of the burns inflicted.
Swiss ski resort fire: How New Year celebrations turned to tragedy as sparklers on bottles likely cause of blaze
Friday 2 January 2026 20:00 , Maira ButtAround 40 people - many of them young - have been killed after a fire ripped through a busy bar in a popular Swiss ski resort during New Year’s Eve celebrations, in what has been described as one of the country’s “worst tragedies”.
At least 119 others have been injured with the vast majority in a “serious” or “critical” condition as authorities said local hospitals have reached capacity in the Alpine resort of Crans-Montana.
Swiss authorities believe fountain candles on champagne bottles are the “likely” cause of the incident but investigations remain ongoing.
The blaze broke out in the early hours of New Year’s Day, with footage showing crowds escaping the Le Constellation bar engulfed in flames.
Revellers were gathered at the venue to celebrate the start of 2026 when horrific scenes unfolded.
How New Year celebrations at Swiss ski bar turned to tragedy as likely cause revealed
Grandfather of missing 22-year-old girl 'full of hope' she is unharmed
Friday 2 January 2026 19:30 , Maira ButtThe grandfather of a 22-year-old girl has expressed hope that she may be in hospital, unharmed.
“We always hope - we are full of hope,” Pierre told BFMTV. “It helps to overcome whatever the hardship.”
His granddaughter, Emilie Pralong, is said to have been at the bar with several friends who could also be missing.
“We have to be ready to accept a more difficult situation. We mustn't dream, we have to be realistic in the face of a tragedy like this.”
Italian golfer, 16, named as first victim of tragic Swiss ski resort bar fire
Friday 2 January 2026 19:00 , Maira ButtThe first victim of a devastating fire in a Swiss ski resort bar has been named, as the painstaking identification process continues.
At least 40 people were killed and another 115 injured after a blaze engulfed the Crans-Montana resort’s Le Constellation bar shortly after midnight on Thursday. It has been described as one of Switzerland’s “worst tragedies”.
Authorities on Friday said that 113 of 119 of the victims had been identified.
Emanuele Galeppini, a 16-year-old athlete who lived in Dubai, was staying in the Crans-Montana resort with his family. He went to the resort bar with two friends on New Year’s Eve, Italian media reported.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain reports:
Italian golfer, 16, named as first victim of tragic Swiss ski resort bar fire
In pictures: Tributes left to victims of deadly blaze that killed 40
Friday 2 January 2026 18:30 , Maira ButtTributes have been paid to the victims of a deadly blaze that killed 40 people at an upscale luxury ski resort in Switzerland.
Candles were lit and cards and flowers were left at the scene.
At least 119 people remain in a serious condition in hospital.
Mother of 16-year-old 'living a nightmare' as son remains missing
Friday 2 January 2026 18:00 , Maira ButtThe mother of 16-year-old Swiss national Arthur Brodard has expressed the “nightmare” she is living as her son remains missing in the aftermath of a deadly fire that has killed at least 40 people.
“I'm living a nightmare, a nightmare. Either I find my son in the morgue, or I find him in critical condition. It's terrible,” Laetitia told Le Temps.
Living in Lutry near Lausanne, she told the publication she checked to see if he was in the hospital while his father checked Bern, but they were unable to locate him.
She said that his friends had been found with burns covering nearly half of their bodies, adding: “There are no words; they went through hell.”
Bar had more than one emergency exit, say authorities
Friday 2 January 2026 17:32 , Maira ButtThe Le Constellation bar had more than one emergency exit contrary to some reports, said Swiss authorities on Friday.
In the panic that ensued, most people tried to leave by the main entrance as they could not find the emergency exits, said Stephane Ganzer, head of security in Valais.
“Most people didn't necessarily find their way to the emergency exits,” he said.
Full story: Sparkler candles on champagne bottles revealed as likely cause of Swiss ski resort fire that killed 40
Friday 2 January 2026 17:02 , Maira ButtA devastating fire that killed 40 people in a bar at a ski resort in Switzerland on New Year’s Day was likely caused by sparkler candles on champagne bottlers, officials have said.
At least 40 people have been killed and 119 injured after the blaze tore through the Le Constellation bar at the Crans-Montana resort in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Swiss authorities said that the fountain candles – also known as “flares” – were placed on champagne bottles and appear to have caught fire when moved too close to the ceiling.
Sparklers on champagne bottles ‘likely’ cause of Swiss ski resort fire that killed 40
Further investigation needed to determine criminal liability
Friday 2 January 2026 16:37 , Maira ButtInvestigations into criminal liability are ongoing according to attorney general and local prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud.
“If this is indeed the case [that there is criminal liability] and these individuals are still alive, an investigation will be opened against them for negligent arson, negligent homicide, and negligent bodily injury,” she said.
Authorities believe it is “likely” that the blaze was caused by fountain candles on champagne bottles.
Owners of ski bar named as French couple, according to local media
Friday 2 January 2026 16:00 , Maira ButtThe owners of the Crans-Montana ski bar have been named as a French couple, according to local media.
Citing the local property register, Le Figaro said Jacques and Jessica Moretti, bought Le Constellation in 2015 and are also the owners of a hamburger restaurant in Crans-Montana as well as a third establishment in a nearby village.
Majority of injured in 'serious' or 'critical' condition
Friday 2 January 2026 15:29 , Maira ButtThe vast majority of 80 people transferred to hospital were in a “serious” or “critical” condition, according to authorities.
'Birthday cake candles' were used in bar ahead of fire
Friday 2 January 2026 15:26 , Maira ButtSparkler candles are “birthday cake candles” that can be purchased at general retail shops, authorities have said.
They added that an investigation will establish whether a foam layer on the ceiling was compliant with security requirements.
Watch: Swiss bar fire appears to have been started by sparkler candles on champagne bottles, authorities say
Friday 2 January 2026 15:10 , Maira ButtIn pictures: Sparklers likely cause of deadly blaze, say authorities
Friday 2 January 2026 15:02 , Maira ButtA picture from inside the bar of a ski resort in Switzerland appears to show the ceiling catching fire from fountain candles also known as “flares” placed on top of champagne bottles.
Swiss authorities said that the candles are a likely cause of the deadly blaze that has killed at least 40 people.
A complete investigation remains ongoing.
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113 of 119 victims identified, say Swiss authorities
Friday 2 January 2026 14:46 , Maira ButtThe vast majority of the injured victims of a horror blaze at a Swiss Alpine ski resort have been identified.
Authorities said that 113 of 119 of the victims who have been injured have been identified. Six others require identification.
Fire started from sparklers on champagne bottles, say Canton police
Friday 2 January 2026 14:36 , Maira ButtSwiss authorities have shared updates on the potential causes of the fire.
They said it could have “started from sparkler candles, otherwise known as flares that were placed on top of Champagne bottles.”
Authorities added: “They were taken too close to the ceiling leading to a flashover incident where the fire spread very rapidly.
“Several people have been interviewed and observations have been made on the premises.
“Two French managers of the bar and various people who escaped the tragedy have been interviewed.”
Investigations will look at renovation work, materials used and licensing arrangements and safety and security arrangements, fire extinguishers and emergency exit.
Several European nationalities identified among victims
Friday 2 January 2026 14:33 , Maira ButtSeveral European nationalities have been identified among the victims of the tragedy.
Authorities said they had determined 71 Swiss nationals, 14 French citizens, 11 Italians, 4 Serbian, 1 Bosnian, 1 Belgian, 1 Polish person, 1 person from Luxembourg and 1 Portuguese.
The nationalities of at least 14 victims remains unknown with the numbers of all being subject to change depending on further information.
Many victims in 'life-threatening condition' as 50 patients to be transferred to hospitals across Europe
Friday 2 January 2026 14:26 , Maira ButtSwiss authorities have said that approximately 50 patients will be transferred to specialist burns hospitals across Europe.
Many victims are in a “life-threatening” condition.
Officials called the incident a “tragedy for Switzerland and the whole of Europe”.
A police press conference on the Switzerland fire that killed 40 people has just begun.
Authorities will provide updates on identification, hospital treatment as well as the response of emergency services.
Lausanne hospital director says 'victims are young'
Friday 2 January 2026 14:20 , Maira ButtThe director of a Lausanne hospital has said that the injured victims are “young” according to Sky News.
Those being treated for injuries at the hospital are aged between 16 and 26, he said.
The bar is said to have been favoured by young people, according to locals.
Fire survivors being treated across Europe as Swiss hospitals reach capacity
Friday 2 January 2026 14:05 , Maira ButtSurvivors of a deadly blaze that tore through a luxury ski resort are being treated across Europe after local hospitals reached capacity, according to The Guardian.
Injured victims were taken to Belgium, France and Germany after regional medical facilities reached their limit.
A Swiss news agency reported that more than 30 people were taken to specialist burns hospitals in Zurich and Lausanne while six were taken to Geneva.
Authorities have said identification could taken days or weeks due to the severity of the burns inflicted.
Three in hospital yet to be identified, says Italian foreign minister
Friday 2 January 2026 13:43 , Maira ButtThree people being treated for injuries in hospital are yet to be identified, said Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani who was in Switzerland at the time of the incident.
He explained that 13 Italians were in hospital while six were registered as missing following the “immense tragedy”.
“Something was missing, something didn't work, but it will be up to the judiciary to conduct the investigation and ascertain responsibility,” he said.
Swiss authorities open criminal investigation into incident
Friday 2 January 2026 13:21 , Maira ButtPublic prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation following a fire at a luxury Alpine ski resort in Switzerland that has killed at least 40 people.
Attorney general for Valais canton, Beatrice Pilloud, ruled out the possibility of an attack, adding that the inquiry would work to determine the causes of the blaze.
What is a flashover?
Friday 2 January 2026 13:03 , Maryam Zakir-HussainA flashover is when a deadly fire spreads rapidly in an enclosed space, causing everything in the room to ignite almost instantly.
It is described the National Fire Association as “ the sudden, simultaneous ignition of everything in a room”.
Officials have said this is what most likely happened at Le Constellation bar, where at least 40 people were killed.
Italy's foreign minister says safety situation in bar was 'terrible'
Friday 2 January 2026 12:40 , Maryam Zakir-HussainItaly's foreign minster Antonio Tajani has called the safety situation of the Swiss ski resort bar “terrible” after a devastating fire took the lives of at least 40 people, and injured over 100.
Mr Tajani appeared visibly emotional as he exited ‘Le Constellation’ bar, describing the incident as a “tragedy”.
He said: "I'm a father and grandfather, so I can understand what a parent is feeling now."
Mr Tajani said the use of small fireworks in the bar was "irresponsible", adding: "This safety situation was terrible. We've seen some dramatic footage.
“Obviously, something didn't work. It will be the judges who carry out the investigation and apportion liability."
Watch: Man swats at flames before Swiss ski resort fire turns deadly
Friday 2 January 2026 12:31 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Watch: Man swats at flames before Swiss ski resort fire turns deadly
Italy's foreign minister looks devastated in emotional visit to scene of the disaster
Friday 2 January 2026 12:30 , Maryam Zakir-HussainItaly's foreign minister Antonio Tajani appears emotional as he visits the site of the explosion in the Swiss ski resort.
UK Foreign Office updates Swiss travel advice
Friday 2 January 2026 12:10 , Maryam Zakir-HussainThe UK Foreign Office has updated its travel advice for Switzerland.
The updated advice says: "Following the fire in Crans-Montana on 1 January, the Swiss authorities have opened a dedicated phone number for Swiss and foreign nationals affected by this incident.
“Swiss authorities recommend that people seek to contact loved ones on all available channels (email, social media, phone) before attempting to call. You can call +41 848 112 117. You may be asked for proof of kinship if you ask for information about your close family."
The latest photos from the scene
Friday 2 January 2026 11:50 , Maryam Zakir-HussainPictures show medical staff and airport personnel loading a casualty onto a Swiss Air-Ambulance plane at Sion Airport.
'The wait is unbearable,' bereft mother searching for son says
Friday 2 January 2026 11:27 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain"I have been searching for my son for 30 hours. The wait is unbearable," Laetitia, the mother of missing 16-year-old Arthur, told BFM TV, saying she was desperate to know if he was alive or dead, and where.
"If he's in the hospital, I don't know which hospital he's in. If he's in the morgue, I don't know which morgue he's in. If my son is alive, he's alone in the hospital, and I can't be by his side."
Authorities have warned that naming the victims or establishing a definitive death toll would take time because many of the bodies were badly burned.
"All this work needs to be done because the information is so terrible and sensitive that nothing can be told to the families unless we are 100 percent sure," said Mathias Reynard, head of government of the canton of Valais. Experts were using dental and DNA samples to identify the victims, he said.
Italian golfer, 16, named as first victim of tragic Swiss ski resort bar fire
Friday 2 January 2026 10:51 , Maryam Zakir-HussainThe first victim of a devastating fire in a Swiss ski resort bar has been named, as the painstaking identification process of bodies continues.
Emanuele Galeppini, a 16-year-old athlete who lived in Dubai, was staying in the Crans-Montana resort with his family. He went to the resort bar with two friends on New Year’s Eve, Italian media reported.
In a statement, the Italian Golf Federation said it mourned the death of “a young athlete who embodied passion and authentic values".
Read more here:
Italian golfer, 16, named as first victim of tragic Swiss ski resort bar fire
Watch: Survivor escaped deadly Swiss resort bar fire ‘in frenzy’ as it was engulfed by blaze
Friday 2 January 2026 10:20 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain
Survivor escaped deadly Swiss bar fire ‘in a frenzy’ as it was engulfed by blaze
The latest photos from the scene
Friday 2 January 2026 10:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainA man comforts a woman as they stand outside the "Le Constellation" bar in the Alpine ski resort in Switzerland.
What caused the fire?
Friday 2 January 2026 09:48 , Maryam Zakir-HussainThe exact cause of the blaze is not yet known, but officials have ruled out an attack.
Two women told French broadcaster BFMTV they were inside when they saw a male bartender lifting a female bartender on his shoulders as she held a lit candle in a bottle. The flames spread, collapsing the wooden ceiling, they told the broadcaster.
Video footage appears to show the ceiling of the bar rapidly catching fire, though attorney general Beatrice Pilloud declined to confirm the reports in a press conference on Thursday afternoon.
One of the women described a crowd surge as people frantically tried to escape from a basement nightclub up a narrow flight of stairs and through a narrow door.
The fire is said to have prompted an explosion, which officials described as an "embrasement”.
Eight French people among missing and nine injured
Friday 2 January 2026 09:14 , Maryam Zakir-HussainFrance's foreign ministry said eight French people are missing and another nine are among the injured.
Top-flight French football team FC Metz said one of its trainee players, 19-year-old Tahirys Dos Santos, was badly burned and has been transferred by plane to Germany for treatment.
Axel Clavier, a 16-year-old from Paris, escaped the inferno by forcing a window open with a table. He said it felt like he was suffocating inside the bar where moments before he had been ringing in the new year with friends and dozens of other revellers.
The teenager told the Associated Press that "two or three" of his friends remained missing hours after the disaster.
'We don't know if he's among the dead or missing'
Friday 2 January 2026 08:49 , Maryam Zakir-HussainThirteen of the wounded were Italian citizens, and another six Italians are unaccounted for, Italy's ambassador to Switzerland, Gian Lorenzo Cornado, told state-run RAI television.
One of the people missing was Giovanni Tamburi, whose mother Carla Masielli issued an appeal for any news about her son and asked the media to show his photo in hopes of identifying him.
"We have called all the hospitals but they don't give me any news. We don't know if he's among the dead. We don't know if he's among the missing," she said.
Three of the wounded were being transported from Switzerland to a Milan hospital, the Italian civil protection agency said.
Where did the blaze take place?
Friday 2 January 2026 08:38 , Maryam Zakir-HussainThe blast occurred at around 1.30am on Thursday at Le Constellation, a bar popular with tourists in the luxury ski resort of Crans-Montana, in the Valais region, southwestern Switzerland.
The community is in the heart of the Swiss Alps, just 25 miles north of the Matterhorn.
With high-altitude ski runs at around 3,000 meters, Crans-Montana is one of the winter sports centres of Switzerland's Valais region, drawing winter sports enthusiasts from across the world.
First victim named as teenage golfer
Friday 2 January 2026 08:24 , Daniel KeaneThe first victim of the Crans-Montana bar fire has been named as Emanuele Galeppini, a teenage golfer from Italy.
In a statement, the Italian Golf Federation said it mourned the death of “a young athlete who embodied passion and authentic values".
"In this time of great sorrow, our thoughts go out to his family and all those who loved him,” they said.
Eight French nationals missing after Swiss fire
Friday 2 January 2026 08:00 , Alisha Rahaman SarkarAt least nine French nationals were injured in the fire at the Swiss resort, and eight remained missing, the French foreign ministry said.
“The toll from the terrible fire in Crans-Montana on the night of January 1 is rising,” the ministry told CNN.
“At this stage, we cannot rule out the possibility that French nationals are among the victims of the fire, whose identification is still ongoing.”
The ministry said that the injured French nationals “have been taken into care", with three of them transferred to French hospitals in Lyon and Paris.
