A teenager who received education in Britain is among the individuals who cannot be located following a tragic fire that occurred at a bar in Switzerland. Charlotte Niddam, aged around 15, has been missing since the fire broke out at Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Valais, on the early hours of New Year’s Day. Concerned friends have taken to social media to make heartfelt pleas for any information on Charlotte’s whereabouts. She previously attended Immanuel College, a Jewish private school in Bushey, Hertfordshire.
On Thursday, two photos of Charlotte were circulated through an Instagram account named @cransmontana.avisderecherche, which was established to assist in finding missing individuals. One of the images is captioned: “Dressed like in the photo on the right.”
Mia, a friend, shared a sequence of Charlotte’s pictures on TikTok, expressing her deep affection: “My sweet sweet special lottie I love you more than the meaning of life. I need my best friend I miss you #cransmontana @Charlotte niddam.” Another friend, Summer, posted a compilation of videos showing the pair dancing and laughing, with the caption: “I miss my best friend @Charlotte niddam #CransMontana.” She additionally shared a screenshot of the Instagram appeal to locate Charlotte in the comments.
Although Charlotte’s nationality is not definitively known, her parents are thought to be French. According to The Sun, the family resided in Bushey for a number of years before relocating to Switzerland. A neighbor described Charlotte as “kind” and “so clever” and expressed deep sorrow over the tragic incident.
Authorities in Switzerland have indicated that the fire likely originated from sparkler candles, also called flares, placed on champagne bottles that inadvertently got too close to the ceiling.
The death toll currently stands at 40 individuals. Frédéric Gisler, the Valais police chief, emphasized that identifying the victims is of utmost importance. Out of the 119 injured individuals, 113 have been positively identified, while six others remain unidentified. The identified casualties include nationals from various countries, such as Switzerland, France, Italy, Serbia, Bosnia, Belgium, Poland, Luxembourg, and Portugal. The nationalities of 14 individuals are still being confirmed.