Police have identified the first four victims killed in a fire in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana on New Year's Eve, as efforts continue to identify the remaining dead. Valais cantonal police said the bodies of two Swiss women, aged 21 and 16, and two Swiss men, aged 18 and 16, have been returned to their families. Authorities said "extensive" work by police officers and the Institute of Forensic Medicine made the identifications possible, while work to identify other victims is ongoing. The blaze at the Le Constellation bar killed 40 people and injured 119 others, officials said. While many of the injured have now been identified, families continue to wait for information about those still missing. A preliminary investigation found the likely cause of the fire was sparklers attached to champagne bottles being carried too close to the ceiling. Swiss President Guy Parmelin described the incident as "one of the worst tragedies" the country has experienced. Further details about the identified victims, including their names, have not been released. Police said on Friday that 113 injured people have been identified, including 71 Swiss, 14 French and 11 Italian citizens. Many of the dead and missing are teenagers. Le Constellation was known to be popular with a younger crowd in the resort town, where the legal drinking age is 16. A teenage golfer from Italy was the first reported death to be named, though Swiss and Italian officials have so far declined to confirm his death. Flowers, soft toys and messages of love and hope have been placed outside police barriers near the bar. On Saturday, families were directed to a conference center outside Crans, where members of the Italian Civil Protection team met relatives alongside Italy's ambassador to Switzerland, Gian Lorenzo Cornado. Cornado said the identification process was continuing and was expected to be completed by Sunday afternoon, adding that the process has been slow due to the severity of burns suffered by many victims. — Agencies
