CRANS-MONTANA, SWITZERLAND—The “terrible uncertainty” that has haunted this Alpine resort for four days finally gave way to a crushing reality on Sunday evening. Swiss authorities announced they have successfully identified all 40 victims of the New Year’s Eve inferno at Le Constellation bar, revealing a heartbreaking toll that has decimated a generation of local youth and touched families across Europe.
Valais cantonal police confirmed that forensic teams, working around the clock with DNA samples and dental records due to the severity of the blaze, have completed the identification process. The final list paints a somber picture of a celebration that turned into a “death trap” for the young and the hopeful.
A Generation Lost: The Profile of the Fallen
The victims—half of whom were minors—represent a vibrant cross-section of Europe’s youth. Of the 40 confirmed dead, the majority were teenagers between the ages of 14 and 18.
- The Youngest: A 14-year-old Swiss girl is the youngest victim identified.
- The Nationalities: The tragedy has left a mark across several borders:
- Switzerland: 18 citizens, including two 15-year-old girls and several young men aged 16–21.
- France: 8 nationals, including a 39-year-old and several students in their early 20s.
- Italy: 2 teenagers aged 16, including 17-year-old golf prodigy Emanuele Galeppini, the first victim to be named.
- Global Reach: Victims also include a dual Italian-Emirati citizen (16), a Romanian student (18), and citizens from Turkey, Belgium, and Portugal.
‘Partying in Paradise’: The Families Speak
For many, the formal identification was merely a confirmation of a nightmare they had lived since the first sparks hit the foam-clad ceiling.
“Our Arthur has now left to party in paradise. We can start our mourning, knowing that he is in peace and in the light.” — Laetitia Brodard, mother of 16-year-old victim Arthur Brodard
On Sunday afternoon, hundreds of mourners, led by grief-stricken parents and classmates, marched in near-total silence from a memorial Mass at the Chapelle Saint-Christophe to the blackened husk of the bar. The silence was broken only by the sound of boots on snow and a sudden, sustained burst of applause as white roses were laid at the site where the “Sky Symphony” of sparklers turned into a wall of fire.
The Investigation Hardens
As the names are released to families, the focus of the Valais Attorney General, Béatrice Pilloud, has shifted toward criminal accountability.
- The Managers: Jacques and Jessica Moretti, the French couple who managed Le Constellation, remain under investigation for negligent homicide and negligent arson.
- The “Kill Zone”: Investigators are examining witness reports that an emergency exit was permanently blocked and that the basement’s soundproofing material was a “toxic accelerant.”
- National Mourning: Swiss President Guy Parmelin has declared Friday, January 9, a national day of mourning. At noon that day, church bells will toll across all 26 cantons, followed by a minute of silence.
A Legacy of Safety
The identification of the final 16 victims on Sunday marks the end of the forensic phase, but the soul-searching for Switzerland is just beginning. The tragedy has already sparked calls for a nationwide ban on “bottle service pyrotechnics” and a radical overhaul of fire safety inspections in Alpine nightclubs.
For the 119 survivors—many of whom remain in specialized burns units in Lausanne, Zurich, and Lyon—the road to recovery is long. But for the 40 families now preparing for funerals, the light of the new year has been permanently dimmed.