“And pray that our children and the deceased may reach heaven or any other place of paradise according to their religion,” she added.
Many of the community members attended a church service where local bishop Jean-Marie Lovey relayed a message from Pope Leo XIV about his prayers for the young people who died, as well as for the injured and their families.
About 119 people were hurt in the fire and some suffered burns so severe that it has taken days to identify them.
The police chief in the Valais cantonment that includes the resort town, Frédéric Gisler, said on Saturday that the injured included 71 people from Switzerland, 14 from France and 11 from Italy.
The Australian government confirmed that one Australian was among those injured, but has not released any details of the individual’s medical condition or location.
Also among the injured are people from Serbia, Portugal, Poland, Luxembourg, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Belgium.
Firefighters attend the memorial on Sunday.Credit: AP
People gather to remember the fire victims in Crans-Montana on Sunday.Credit: AP
Those wounded in the fire were transferred to burns units in hospitals across Switzerland as well as in France, Germany and Italy. French Health Minister Stéphanie Rist said 17 patients had received care in France, out of 35 patients transferred outside Switzerland.
While authorities did not name the dead, details have begun to emerge of those killed.
The Jewish community in the Swiss city of Lausanne said on Sunday that Jewish sisters Alicia and Diana Gunst, aged 15 and 14, were killed in the fire.
The Italian Golf Federation named Emanuele Galeppini, 16, as one of those who died, describing him as an athlete who “embodied passion and authentic values”. He had been staying in the village with family.
Teenage Crans-Montana fire victim Emanuele Galeppini.Credit: Italian Golf Federation
Another of those who died, Benjamin Johnson, 18, a young boxer, was hailed as a hero for saving a friend in his final moments.
Promising boxer Benjamin Johnson, who was killed in the fire.Credit: Swiss Boxing Federation
“Reports indicate that he lost his life rushing to the aid of his girlfriend, thus saving her life,” Swiss Boxing president Amir Orfia said. “This final act of selflessness perfectly reflects his character: he was someone who always helped others.”
The family of Tristan Pidoux also announced he was among the casualties.
“We have just learned that our angel Tristan has left us,” they posted on Instagram. “We are in shock. Life is so unfair. May you rest in peace.”
On Sunday in Britain, confirmation came that Charlotte Niddam, 15, had been identified among the dead after being listed as missing since Thursday.
Niddam had recently studied at Immanuel college, a private Jewish secondary school in the UK, and was working at the Swiss resort as a babysitter. UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper confirmed her death in statement.
Messages have flooded an online condolence book set up by the Swiss government with an opening post by Swiss President Guy Parmelin.
Tristan Pidoux also died in the fire.Credit: Instagram/@amiradiamondsgroup
“Many of the victims were young, full of plans, hopes, and dreams,” he wrote. “Their lives should not be defined by how they ended. They should be honoured for what they were: a promise, an energy, a part of our shared future.”
Swiss prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation into the owners of a bar that was destroyed in a blaze that killed 40 people, after photographs showed the way flames spread through soundproofing material attached to the ceiling.
Police said the French couple were suspected of negligent homicide, negligent bodily harm and causing fire by negligence.
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The fire is believed to have started about 1.30am on Thursday morning when bar staff carried bottles of champagne aloft in the crowd with small fireworks attached and setting off sparks.
Photographs taken at the time appear to show the fire catching alight on the insulation material, while one video showed some people attempting to douse flames that had spread to the ceiling.
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