The search for relatives caught up in the Swiss bar fire on New Year’s Eve is continuing after around 40 people were killed and 115 injured.
Officials are warning it could take days or even weeks to identify everyone who died.
Sixty people are receiving care at Sion hospital with more being treated elsewhere – a “significant number” are in a critical condition.
Swiss President Guy Parmelin says the fire is “one of the worst tragedies that our country has experienced.”
Some witnesses think “birthday candles” on top of a champagne bottle set fire to the ceiling – when asked by reporters, the attorney general says she cannot confirm the cause.
“I managed to break a window,” says one man who escaped the bar. “Half of my clothes were gone. It was crazy.”
BBC report that, a memorial of flowers, candles and messages remains at the scene this morning [Friday, January 2, 2026].
Last night, mourners gathered for a vigil in tribute to the victims.
BBC’s Nikk Johnson reports that the scene outside Le Constellation this morning was one of two halves.
“Beyond the police tape are red and white forensics tents with officers appearing to go in and out of the area around the bar. The investigation active and visible.
“On the other side of the cordon, a quieter, reflective atmosphere. Dozens of candles flicker, lit at a vigil last night.
“And a large stage has been set up, atop which lie hundreds of bunches of flowers alongside messages of love and hope.
While this is a very “international resort, it does still feel like a close knit community.
“Locals I’ve spoken to in the short time I’ve been here all say they know someone who knows someone who was inside the bar that night.” [BBC]
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