Sawt Falasteen - Swiss identify 24 victims of New Year fire at ski resort

A heavy pall of grief hung over the town as hundreds of people walked in silence to a chapel of rest near the scene following a memorial service for the victims of an inferno which also left 119 people injured -- many badly burned -- and left the local community distraught.

"The world's media are focused on our resort. We thank them for seeking the compassion which the families of the injured and deceased so desperately need," said Bishop Jean-Marie Lovey of Sion during the service -- one of a number planned.

Switzerland has declared a national day of mourning for January 9, with all the church bells in the country poised to ring at 2:00 pm (1300 GMT). A moment of silence is also planned.

"Many of the victims were apprentices, high school students, and university students," said Pastor Gilles Cavin, representing the Reformed Church of Switzerland at the memorial mass.

Local police, who had already identified eight Swiss victims, earlier announced they had identified 10 more Swiss nationals -- four women and six men aged 14 to 31, as well as two 16-year-old Italians, a 39-year-old Frenchman, a 16-year-old dual national of Italy and United Arab Emirates, an 18-year-old Romanian and an 18-year-old Turk.

The fatalities identified to date include 11 minors.

With Crans-Montana a popular destination for international tourists, many foreign nationals are among those hurt in the blaze.

They include 71 Swiss nationals, 14 French -- the French foreign ministry gave a tally of 16 on Saturday -- 11 Italians, four Serbs, a Belgian, a Bosnian, one person from Luxembourg and also a Pole and a Portuguese.

- 'Compassion, solidarity' -

At the memorial mass Pastor Cavin told a packed church that "we are here to say that in the face of the unspeakable, in the face of the brutality of death and suffering, we refuse to look away. We are here to express our compassion, our solidarity."

The church, located some 300 metres (yards) from the bar, was packed well before the start of the mass, which was broadcast on a giant screen outside.

Despite temperatures dropping to -9° Celsius, hundreds of people stood outside, some holding bouquets of flowers, others a single red rose.

Regarding the likely cause of the fire, authorities have pointed the finger at lit sparklers attached to champagne bottles igniting foam on the ceiling.

French couple Jacques and Jessica Moretti owned and managed Le Constellation bar, which was crammed with young partygoers when a blaze began in a packed basement at around 1:30 am (0030 GMT) on Thursday.

A criminal investigation has been opened against the pair. They are charged with manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence and arson by negligence.

Investigations will focus on whether safety standards were respected.

Jacques Moretti insisted to the Swiss press on Friday that all safety norms were followed at the bar, which according to the Crans-Montana website had a capacity of 300 people plus 40 on its terrace.

Video footage which has emerged from the tragedy shows young people desperately trying to flee the scene, some breaking windows to try to force their way out.

One video shared on social media showed the low wooden ceiling -- covered with soundproofing foam -- catching fire and the flames spreading quickly, as revellers continued to dance.

Looking at the images of the event, experts suggested the "highly flammable" foam may have caused a flashover -- a near-simultaneous ignition of everything in an enclosed space.

- Horror and anger -

The mayor of Crans-Montana, Nicolas Feraud, assured Swiss public broadcaster RTS that there had been no negligence on the municipality's part.

"How is this possible, especially in Switzerland? I never would have imagined it.

"I'm filled with a cold anger," she told AFP.

W.Mansour--SF-PST