Swiss authorities said at a press conference that about 40 people had died in the tragedy at the Crans-Montana ski resort. 119 people were injured, including one person from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Mathias Reynard, president of the State Council of the Valais canton, where the ski resort is located, said that work was underway to quickly identify the victims.
He added that at least 119 people were injured in the fire, about half of whom were being treated in a hospital in Valais. The transfer of the seriously injured to France has also begun, and some of them will be placed in specialized burn centers across European countries, including Italy.
“These figures are deeply disturbing,” he said.
He added that many are now going through “unbearable anticipation” because they do not know what happened to their loved ones.
“This is a tragedy for Valais. It is also a tragedy for Switzerland and for the whole of Europe,” he said.
The injured included 71 Swiss citizens, 14 French citizens, 11 Italians, four Serbian citizens, as well as one person each from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belgium, Luxembourg, Poland and Portugal.
The chief prosecutor of Valais, Beatrice Pilloud, said the fire appeared to have been started by “sprinklers placed on champagne bottles that were too close to the ceiling.”
“Everything leads us to think that the fire was caused by sparkling candles or sprinklers that were placed on champagne bottles that were too close to the ceiling. That’s what started the fire very quickly… There are videos that have been analyzed; there are several people who have been interviewed and reports have been drawn up,” she said.
She added that lists of those who were present on New Year’s Eve have been provided.
