Freya Scott-Turner
Live reporter

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

Families are still anxiously search for missing loved ones, almost two days after a fire ripped through a bar in the Swiss ski town of Crans-Montana.

Among those reported missing are Achille Barosi - who had gone back to the bar to get his jacket - and Emilie Pralong, who is thought to have gone to the bar with several friends.

"I'm living a nightmare," says the mother of another missing 16-year-old, Arthur Brodard.

Swiss officials confirmed earlier today that the death toll remains at 40 people and that formal identification of the dead is still under way.

We've also heard more about the 119 people injured. Seventy-one Swiss citizens, 14 French and 11 Italians are among them.

Authorities believe sparklers attached to champagne bottles are the likely cause of the fire - although "several hypotheses" are still being examined.

With the fate of many still unclear, schoolteachers and youth football clubs are among those sharing information about the missing. As our correspondent in Crans-Montana Sarah Rainsford puts it, one of the most striking details of this tragedy is how young the victims are.

• We're pausing our live coverage, but you can read more about the investigation into the fire and its causes in our news article, as well as this BBC Verify piece

What images and videos tell us about why Swiss bar fire spread so quicklypublished at 21:14 GMT 2 January

21:14 GMT 2 January

Investigators are racing to establish how and why the deadly New Year's Eve fire at a bar in a Swiss ski resort spread so rapidly.

Authorities on Friday said in a news conference that sparklers attached to champagne bottles that were held "too close to the ceiling" appear to have started the blaze in the basement of Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana.

But how the fire took hold with such ferocity, killing at least 40 people and leaving 119 injured, many seriously, is now a key focus for officials - as is the bar's safety record.

​​BBC Verify has been examining videos taken by survivors and onlookers and speaking to fire safety experts to find clues about what went wrong.

• You can read what we uncover here

Frank Gardner
Security correspondent

All of us who go to Crans-Montana to ski each season are in utter shock.

I have lost count of the number of times my friends have nobly carried me in my wheelchair down steps and stairs in Alpine resorts to reach some crowded, underground bar.

While officials said Le Constellation had more than one exit, most places I've been to tend to have just a single, narrow way out. And if there is a second exit, it's frequently locked. If a stampede like the one that happened had broken out, I'd have had no chance of escape in a wheelchair.

America does a lot better. It’s not just the purpose-built resorts like Breckinridge for adaptive skiers like me, who ski using a chair balanced on a broad, carving monoski. I found all the facilities at Aspen Snowmass and Beaver Creek in the Rockies easy to access. No darkened underground cellar bars or facilities where we went.

So if one thing can possibly come out of this appalling tragedy I hope it prompts an Alps-wide review of safety and not just in the charming, traditional but now mourning resort of Crans-Montana.

Many people are still searching for relatives who were in the Constellation Bar on New Year's Eve.

Giovanni Tamburi, 16, is among the missing. His mother, Carla Masiello from Bologna, has told La Repubblica that he had been on holiday with his father but went out with friends and ended up at La Constellation.

"A close friend of his told me they ran away after the fire broke out and that he had it [his phone] with him, but then at a certain point he couldn't see him anymore," she tells the newspaper, adding he had been wearing a gold chain with a small Madonna around his neck.

Tania Causio, one of his teachers at Porta Saragozza High School, tells La Repubblica: "I've always been struck by his kindness and smile, coupled with great maturity. Every time I walk into class, he asks if I want him to go get me a coffee."

One of the owners of Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana where the fire took place has defended the venue's safety protocols to Swiss media outlets.

While the venue has not released an official statement, one of its owners reportedly told Swiss newspaper 24 heures that the bar had been inspected "three times in 10 years" and that "everything was done according to the standards there".

The Swiss newspaper 20 Minuten said it spoke to one of the owners, who said: "We can neither sleep nor eat, we are all very unwell."

"We will do everything we can to help clarify the causes. We are doing everything in our power. Our lawyers are also involved," they told the paper.

Image source, Reuters

As day two of the aftermath of the deadly Swiss bar fire comes to a close, we have a clearer picture of what happened at Le Constellation bar in the early hours of New Year's Day.

Here's the latest:

• Thefire was likely started by sparklers attached to champagne bottles that came too close to the ceiling, Valais Attorney General Beatrice Pilloud said at a news conference earlier
• There is no penal liability for now, officials say, and an investigation will look at whether foam on the ceiling of the bar complied with regulations
• The formal identification of the 40 people who were killed continues, police commander Frederic Gisler said
• There are 119 people injured, 113 of whom have been formally identified. Among their nationalities, there are 71 Swiss, 14 French and 11 Italians
• Families are still waiting to hear the news of their loved ones - Swiss national Arthur Brodard, 16, Emilie Pralong, 22, and 16-year-old Achille Barosi are among those whose whereabouts are currently unknown
• Lausanne hospital says it is "hopeful" all 22 of the burn victims it is treating will survive - other injured people are being treated elsewhere

We still don't know:

• The victims' identities
• The official cause - though officials say they assume it was caused by the sparklers, they're also "pursuing several hypotheses; no scenario is being ruled out"

UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has offered support to Switzerland in its response to the fatal fire in Crans-Montana on Thursday.

In a social media post, Cooper says she has been in touch with the Swiss foreign minister and that "our thoughts are with all the victims and their families".

She says the UK is ready to support, external people affected or their families, and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office stands "ready to support any British Nationals affected".

The ski resort and bar where the fire took place was a popular international destination, but so far there has been no information indicating Britons were among the victims of the fire.

As we've reported, officials say they are working on the assumption that the Swiss bar fire was caused by sparklers attached to champagne bottles that came too close to the ceiling.

President of the UK Association of Fire Investigators, Richard Hagger, says there have been many incidents "with tragic outcomes" when pyrotechnics are used in nightclubs.

Speaking to the BBC, he says: "These pyrotechnics release tens of thousands of minute particles of metal, all white-hot at around 1000C," and if those particles cascade onto a flammable material, it "will just cause it to ignite".

Hagger says that the spread of the fire was likely caused by insulation or soundproofing material, rather than the wooden ceiling of the bar.

A wooden ceiling is closed boarded so there are "no gaps between it, so it's like putting a flame onto a flat piece of board - it wouldn't immediately ignite", he says.

He says the sustained burning from the insulation material "would raise the timber up to its ignition temperature and further fuel the fire, creating a larger fire than it would normally have been".

Crans-Montana was set to host the FIS Ski World Cup, external at the end of January.

Now the FIS - also known as the International Ski and Snowboard Federation - tells the BBC it will "defer to the local organisers and authorities for any decision regarding the scheduled competitions".

"Whatever that decision is, we will be ready to support Crans-Montana," the body says.

Launched in 1966, the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup is one of the top international circuits of alpine skiing competitions.

On Thursday, FIS has also published a statement, saying it is "devastated by the tragic events early into the new year in Crans-Montana".

"Our hearts go out to our friends in Crans-Montana and, above all else, to the families of the victims," the statement says.

Earlier, Swiss officials said an investigation is in progress. They noted that no one is currently being held legally responsible for the fire, but outlined some of the points the investigation is looking into.

Soundproofing material on the ceiling: Attorney General Beatrice Pilloud said they were looking into whether the venue's acoustic foam was "the cause of the problem", as well as "whether it complies with regulations".

The use of sparkler candles inside: Noting that you can buy sparkler candles in shops, Pilloud added that they were looking into "whether or not they can be used in enclosed or confined spaces".

How many people were in the bar: Though lists are being drawn up through interviews with witnesses, Pilloud said it may not "be possible to get an exact answer".

If the emergency exit was open: Officials confirmed there was more than one exit out of the bar, but added they were "not currently able to say" whether the emergency exit was open or closed.

There have also been reports of a narrow staircase in the bar. Pilloud told French broadcaster BFM that she went to see that herself.

"Whether it's narrow or not is really a matter of opinion," she said. "I think the more people trying to use the same staircase, the narrower it will appear."

It's night time in Crans-Montana now.

We're seeing new pictures from the ski resort town, where people are paying their respects to the victims of the fire that killed 40 people.

Meanwhile, the Swiss and Valais cantonal flags are flying at half-mast in Sierre, Switzerland.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Reuters

Nick Johnson
Reporting from Crans-Montana

• Warning: This post contains distressing details

Twenty-year-old Tristan Fischer says his 17-year-old brother smashed windows and pulled people from the bar when the fire took hold.

Tristan is worried his brother’s mental health has been permanently affected: “He hasn’t properly spoken, he hasn't properly slept since.”

He says he knows of at least two students from his university who are missing.

His anger is directed towards Le Constellation. He supports an investigation into the bar’s safety measures and says it has a lax attitude to underage drinking.

Image source, Laetitia Brodard-Sitre/Facebook

Swiss national Arthur Brodard, 16, is among those whose whereabouts are currently unknown, according to an appeal from his mother, Laetitia.

Laetitia, who lives in Lutry near Lausanne, told local newspaper Le Temps that she had returned to Lausanne to check if he was in hospital, while Arthur's father did the same in Bern, but neither could find him.

"I'm living a nightmare, a nightmare. Either I find my son in the morgue, or I find him in critical condition. It's terrible," she said.

Laetitia also told the newspaper that some of Arthur's friends had been found with burns covering nearly half their bodies.

"There are no words; they went through hell."

Image source, Lisa Pralong Elisabeth/Facebook

Also reported missing by family members is Emilie Pralong, 22, who is thought to have been at Le Constellation with several friends who may also be missing.

Her grandfather, Pierre, described an "agonising" wait for information, telling BFMTV: "We always hope - we are full of hope. It helps to overcome whatever the hardship."

While he expressed optimism that she may turn up relatively unharmed in hospital, he said: "We have to be ready to accept a more difficult situation. We mustn't dream, we have to be realistic in the face of a tragedy like this."

Image source, FC METZ

On Thursday, French football club FC Metz said one of its youth players - 19-year-old Tahirys Dos Santos - was among the injured receiving treatment in hospital.

His agent has been speaking to BFMTV, a French national news channel, and says Dos Santos has burns covering "30% of his body".

Christophe Hutteau says he is in "terrible pain", but adds that the condition of his lungs is improving.

Dos Santos' parents have driven to Germany, where he is being treated in hospital, Hutteau adds.

This afternoon's update from Swiss officials saw mention of teams using Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) in efforts to put a name to those killed in Thursday's fire.

DVI is essentially a collaboration where multiple agencies use their expertise to find evidence to identify an unknown victim.

There is an international model that Interpol developed, and as a member state Switzerland founded its own DVI group in 2001.

The Swiss team consists of forensic specialists, doctors, dentists and investigators from the local, municipal and federal police, as well as government officials and specialists from the Institute of Forensic Medicine.

Interpol's guidance sets out four phases to identification:

• Scene examination and recovery of victims and their property
• Post-mortem examination to collect data such as fingerprints, DNA, dental information and distinguishing marks such as tattoos or scars
• Interviews with missing people's next of kin, and collection of their biometric data to help possible matching
• A reconciliation process whereby specialists compare information and data to make positive identifications

Isabella Bull
BBC World Service

Sixteen-year-old Achille Barosi walked into Le Constellation at 01:30 local time on New Year’s Day to get his jacket and phone from where he’d left it in the club.

His family haven’t heard from him since.

“We don’t know where Achille is. We hope that he is in one of the hospitals… but he’s lost,” his aunt Francesca tells OS on the BBC World Service.

“We don’t know if he’s still alive.”

Swiss authorities say formal identification of the dead and injured is still ongoing.

Francesca describes her nephew, who attends an art school in Milan, as a beautiful boy and an excellent painter.

“We just want to find him, and that’s it.”

Image source, Achille Barosi's family

As we've been reporting, not all those injured are being treated locally in Sion, some have been taken to hospitals further away.

We've just heard an update from officials from the hospital in Lausanne.

They say they are currently treating 22 people and are "hopeful all the patients" will pull through.

There are still two patients whose families have not been able to contact them and the police are working to facilitate this, the officials say.

We also heard about the strain on the medical sector from having to treat such a high volume of burns patients: "No European country would be able to handle this number of burns victims on their own", says the panel.

While they don't specify the exact number of patients that will be transferred elsewhere, the officials add that conversations are ongoing about this and the process is very "complex".

Professor Edwin Galea, director of fire safety engineering group at the University of Greenwich, tells the BBC the materials on the ceiling of Le Constellation bar are what he'd be investigating right now.

If the sparklers did trigger the fire, Galea says, then he'd be interested in knowing how the fire spread so quickly. He says it is possible that the materials in the ceiling were acoustic dampening, polyurethane, which is flammable if untreated.

Another thing to consider is whether decorations on the ceiling caught fire from the sparklers, which in turn spread to the acoustic materials, he adds.

"The number of people that were in the underground, basement bar area needs to be looked at, did they [the bar] exceed their licence requirement?", he asks. Emergency exits and whether or not they were easily accessible is another important thing to consider, Galea says.

As a reminder, we've just heard Valais Attorney General Beatrice Pilloud say materials on the ceiling of the bar will form part of the investigation.

We've just had an update from authorities in Switzerland about the ski resort bar fire in Crans-Montana in the early hours of New Year's Day:

• Forty people are known to have died, the regional government head confirmed, but formal identification of the dead is ongoing

• The fire was likely started by sparklers attached to champagne bottles that came too close to the ceiling, says the attorney general, though she adds they are "pursuing several hypotheses"

• There are 119 people injured, 113 of whom have been formally identified. Among their nationalities, there are 71 Swiss, 14 French and 11 Italians
• The French managers of the Le Constellation bar have been interviewed, alongside people who escaped the fire there, and this has helped the authorities draw up a list of people who were present
• There is no penal liability for now, officials say, and an investigation will look at whether foam on the ceiling of the bar complied with regulations
• We heard a bit more context about Valais over the festive period. Officials say it's a time when emergency services are already busy because the population doubles in the Valais canton around the new year - four people remain in intensive care in the local Sion hospital