Police have identified the bodies of 16 additional victims killed in a devastating bar fire in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana, bringing the total number of identified fatalities to 24. Authorities said the youngest victim was a 14-year-old Swiss girl, with nine of the newly identified victims aged under 18. The victims include Swiss, Italian, Romanian, Turkish and French nationals. Among those confirmed dead is 16-year-old Swiss national Arthur Brodard, his mother said. Police said no further details about the victims would be released out of respect for their families. In a post on Facebook on Saturday night, Brodard's mother said her son "has left to party in paradise," adding: "We can start our mourning, knowing that he is in peace and in the light." Earlier, she told local newspaper Le Temps that she had been "living a nightmare" while he was still listed as missing. A criminal investigation is under way into those who ran Le Constellation bar, as families continue to wait for information about loved ones who are still unaccounted for. The fire, which broke out during New Year's celebrations, killed at least 40 people and injured 119 others. A preliminary investigation found that sparklers attached to champagne bottles and carried too close to the ceiling were the likely cause of the blaze. 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. Swiss authorities said the eight victims identified and returned to their families earlier were all aged between 16 and 24. Italian Ambassador to Switzerland Gian Lorenzo Cornado said the identification process has been slow due to the severity of burns suffered by many victims. Prosecutors in the Valais region said the French couple who own the bar are suspected of manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence and arson by negligence. Lead prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud said investigators are examining whether acoustic foam on the ceiling may have contributed to the fire and whether it complied with safety regulations. Italian media have named junior golfer Emanuele Galeppini, 16, as the first identified victim, following a tribute issued by the Italian Golf Federation. — Agencies
