Jewish Sisters Identified Among Victims of Switzerland NYE Fire

Two Jewish sisters were confirmed among the 40 people killed in a devastating New Year’s Eve fire at a bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana, as Swiss prosecutors opened a criminal investigation into the venue’s owners. An Israeli teenage girl remains missing.

The Jewish community in Lausanne announced Sunday that sisters Alicia and Diana Gunst, aged 15 and 14, were identified among the victims. Community leaders said they are supporting the family as authorities continue the painstaking identification process. Another Jewish teenager, Charlotte Needham, described as Israeli-French-British, has not yet been located.

Swiss police in the Canton of Valais said 24 of the 40 victims have been formally identified so far, with bodies released to families as confirmation is completed. The dead include nationals of Switzerland, Italy, France, Romania and Turkey. The fire also left at least 119 people injured, many seriously, overwhelming local hospitals and prompting transfers to medical centers in France and Italy.

Prosecutors in Valais said the owners of the bar, Le Constellation, have been questioned and released but are suspected of wrongful death and negligence. According to preliminary findings, the blaze appears to have ignited when sparklers attached to champagne bottles were raised too close to a low ceiling lined with acoustic foam, which rapidly caught fire. Video from inside the venue shows flames spreading across the ceiling within seconds, as some patrons initially failed to grasp the danger.

Swiss Justice Minister Beat Jans visited the site over the weekend, laying flowers at a growing memorial outside the charred building. “One can only imagine the pain of parents losing their children,” he said. Switzerland will observe a national day of mourning on Friday, marked by a minute of silence and the ringing of church bells across the country.

Israeli officials said embassy staff are on the ground in Switzerland, assisting local authorities and maintaining contact with the family of the missing Israeli teen. Jewish organizations in Switzerland reported that several members of the local Jewish community were among the injured.

Investigators are continuing to examine whether the venue complied with fire safety regulations, including the materials used on the ceiling. For now, what was meant to be a night of celebration in one of Switzerland’s best-known resorts has become one of the country’s deadliest civilian disasters in recent memory.