A teenager educated in the UK is believed to be missing following a devastating fire at a Swiss ski resort bar that left 40 people dead and 119 injured.
Charlotte Niddam, believed to be 15, has not been heard from since a fire tore through the Le Constellation bar in the Alpine ski resort of Crans-Montana in the early hours of Thursday.
Her former school friends have posted on TikTok, sharing a compilation of pictures and videos of the teenager.
One of her friends, Mia, wrote: “My sweet sweet special lottie I love you more than the meaning of life.
“I need my best friend I miss you #cransmontana @Charlotte niddam.”
Authorities are currently “pursuing several hypotheses” to establish the cause of the blaze, analysing video footage from the night and interviewing key witnesses.
However, investigators are working on the assumption that the fire may have been sparked by sparklers attached to champagne bottles, which were held too close to the ceiling.
The Niddam family previously lived in Bushey, near Watford in Hertfordshire, for several years before moving to Switzerland.
Charlotte’s mother and father are French but are believed to have lived in the UK for several years.
The fire broke out at around 1.30am local time (12.30am UK time), while guests were ringing in the New Year. The basement was crowded with revellers.
According to eyewitnesses, the blaze quickly spread through the wooden roof and engulfed the space – causing mass panic as the crowd tried to escape.
One woman said there was a huge surge as people frantically tried to escape up a narrow flight of stairs and through a narrow door.
Police commander Frédéric Gisler confirmed this afternoon that 113 of the 119 people who were injured have been formally identified.
The formal identification process of the six others is still taking place.
Of those injured, 71 are Swiss citizens, 14 are French, 11 are Italian, four are Serbian, one is Bosnian, one is Belgian, one person is from Luxembourg, one is Polish and one is Portuguese.
Mr Gisler said 14 others have unknown nationalities and warned these figures may change.
Many of the victims were young people. The first victim of the fire has been named as Emanuele Galeppini, a 17-year-old Italian golfer who was confirmed dead by the Italian Golfing Federation on Friday.
UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has offered support to Switzerland in its response to the fatal fire in Crans-Montana on Thursday.
In a social media post, Cooper says she has been in touch with the Swiss foreign minister and that "our thoughts are with all the victims and their families".
She said the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office stands "ready to support any British Nationals affected".
