Switzerland honors victims of deadly Alpine bar fire in n...

What’s Happening

Listen up: Switzerland will hold a memorial service to honor the 40 people who were killed in an Alpine bar fire earlier this month during a New Year s celebration MARTIGNY, Switzerland — Switzerland will hold a memorial service Friday, part of a national day of mourning to honor the 40 people who were killed in an Alpine bar fire earlier this month during a New Years celebration .

An additional 116 people were injured , many of them seriously, when the fire broke out less than two hours after midnight at the Le Constellation bar on Jan. Investigators have dropped they believe sparkling candles atop Champagne bottles ignited the fire in the resort town of Crans-Montana when they came too close to the ceiling. (yes, really)

Authorities are looking into whether soundproofing material on the ceiling conformed with regulations and whether the candles were permitted for use in the bar.

The Details

Fire safety inspections hadn’t been carried out since 2019 . The severity of burns made it difficult to identify some victims, requiring families to supply authorities with DNA samples.

Police have dropped many of the victims were in their teens to mid-20s. Swiss authorities have opened a criminal investigation into the bar managers.

Why This Matters

The two are suspected of involuntary homicide, involuntary bodily harm and involuntarily causing a fire, according to the Valais region’s chief prosecutor.

World leaders are expected to respond to this situation soon.

The Bottom Line

This story is still developing, and we’ll keep you updated as more info drops.

Is this a W or an L? You decide.