Families desperate for news as teens remain missing after Swiss ski-resort fire

Families of teenagers missing after a fire at a bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana are appealing for information and facing an agonising wait for news. Swiss officials say the blaze was likely caused by sparklers placed on champagne bottles that came "too close to the ceiling".

Authorities have opened an investigation into the materials used at the site, the bar's fire safety measures, its capacity and the number of people inside. The fire killed 40 people and injured 119. Officials said 113 of the injured have been identified, with work continuing to identify the remaining six; they warned it could take days if not weeks to identify victims.

Meanwhile families and friends have been using social media to appeal for information about those who were at the bar that night. Among the missing is 15-year-old Charlotte Niddam, a former student at UK schools. Her previous school in London asked for "love and prayers" and another school said the family had asked to be kept in thoughts and prayers and that they were "praying for a miracle for Charlotte and the others." Crans-Montana's tourism website lists her as a babysitter in the resort during school holidays.

Swiss national Arthur Brodard, 16, is also missing. His mother, Laetitia, said: "I must find my son... it's been 30 hours since [he] disappeared," and that she and his father had been checking hospitals without success.

Key Topics

World, Crans-montana, Le Constellation, Charlotte Niddam, Arthur Brodard, Beatrice Pilloud