Four Serbian nationals were among those injured in a fire that killed at least 40 people at a bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana during New Year celebrations, authorities in the canton of Valais said Saturday.
Valais cantonal police commander Frédéric Gisler said a total of 119 people were injured in the blaze, which broke out shortly after midnight on Jan. 1 at the Constellation bar. Of those, 113 have been formally identified, while efforts continue to confirm the identities of the remaining victims.
According to police, the injured include 71 Swiss nationals, 14 French citizens and 11 Italians, as well as four Serbian nationals. One citizen each from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belgium, Luxembourg, Portugal and Poland was also among the injured.
The nationalities of 14 injured people remain unknown, Gisler said, adding that identifying the dead remains a priority.
Serbia’s ambassador to Switzerland, Ivan Trifunović, said earlier on Friday that the Serbian embassy had not received official confirmation of any Serbian fatalities, but noted that the family of one Serbian citizen had reported him missing.
“We are in constant communication with Swiss authorities and local police,” Trifunović told Serbia’s Beta news agency.
Mathias Reynard, president of the Valais cantonal government, said at least 40 people were killed in the fire, one of Switzerland’s deadliest nightclub disasters in recent decades.
Swiss prosecutors said preliminary findings suggest the fire may have been caused by pyrotechnic devices attached to champagne bottles and used inside the venue. Chief prosecutor Beatrice Pilud said the devices were positioned too close to a wooden ceiling, allowing the fire to spread rapidly.
Investigators are reviewing video footage, interviewing witnesses and examining the bar’s operating permit, safety measures and occupancy levels. No arrests have been announced.
Authorities said dozens of those injured remain in critical condition, and warned that the death toll could still rise as identification efforts continue.