Jewish teen sisters among dead after Swiss New Year’s bar inferno, negligence probe launched

There is also continuing concern for another teenage girl, Charlotte Needham/Niddam, described in multiple reports as an Israeli citizen with additional citizenship.

By Jewish Breaking News

Two Jewish teen sisters, Alicia Gunst (15) and Diana Gunst (14), have been confirmed among the dead from the catastrophic fire that tore through the Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, according to KAN and Israeli reporting.

The blaze erupted in the early hours during packed New Year’s celebrations, turning a basement party into a lethal trap in seconds.

Swiss officials have put the toll at 40 dead and 119 seriously injured, with many victims believed to be teenagers and young adults and dozens initially unidentifiable due to severe burns.

Authorities say the leading theory is that sparklers attached to champagne bottles were raised too close to the ceiling, igniting flammable acoustic foam and triggering a rapid, explosive spread of fire and smoke.

Prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into the bar’s managers on suspicion of negligence offenses, as investigators scrutinize building materials, fire-safety compliance, and whether preventable failures turned a celebration into a mass-casualty event.

As the investigation advances, identification has been a second trauma for families.

Valais Police say Disaster Victim Identification teams and forensic specialists have now identified 24 of the deceased, including a recent batch that included victims as young as 14 and 15—an age range that underscores just how youth-heavy the crowd was that night.

Within Europe’s Jewish communities, the loss has landed hard.

Multiple reports describe the Gunst sisters as of Italian-Jewish origin and members of the Jewish community in Lausanne, with relatives previously appealing publicly for any trace of them before identification confirmed the worst.

One local Jewish statement circulating in Israeli and Jewish media summed up the moment simply: the community will “stand beside” the family in its mourning.

The incident also carried early, understandable anxiety because Jewish life is physically close to the scene: reporting indicates a Chabad prayer space is located in the same complex, though it was not damaged, and authorities have emphasized there is no indication of an antisemitic or terror motive.

ZAKA’s international teams and local Jewish volunteers have been involved in support efforts tied to recovery, identification, and the religious sensitivities that follow a disaster of this scale.

There is also continuing concern for another teenage girl, Charlotte Needham/Niddam, described in multiple reports as an Israeli citizen with additional citizenship, who has been listed as missing; Israel’s Foreign Ministry has said it is in contact with the family as the search and identification process continues.

Crans-Montana is built for winter joy—peak-season visitors, late-night crowds, tight indoor spaces.

What happens next will be measured in forensic reports and courtroom decisions, but also in whether Swiss authorities tighten enforcement around indoor pyrotechnics, venue materials, and escape-route design before another “one-off” celebration becomes the same headline in another town.