11 h. ago Swiss ski resort fire: sparklers held too close to ceiling may have caused disaster, investigators say

About 40 people died in Crans-Montana bar fire, with experts saying it could take days to identify victimsSwitzerland resort fire – latest updatesInvestigators believe fountain sparklers mounted on champagne bottles and held too close to the ceiling sparked the deadly fire that tore through a crowded bar in the ski resort of Crans-Montana, killing about 40 people and injuring more than 100.“Everything suggests the fire started from the burning candles or ‘Bengal lights’ that had been attached to champagne bottles,” the prosecutor Béatrice Pilloud said on Friday. “These went too close to the ceiling.” Continue reading...

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11 h. ago Sparklers held near ceiling started Swiss ski resort fire, investigators believe

Footage and witness statements show blaze that killed about 40 was ‘very rapid’, prosecutor saysInvestigators believe fountain sparklers mounted on champagne bottles and held too close to the ceiling sparked the deadly fire that tore through a crowded bar in the ski resort of Crans-Montana, killing about 40 people and injuring more than 100.“Everything suggests the fire started from the burning candles or ‘Bengal lights’ that had been attached to champagne bottles,” the prosecutor Béatrice Pilloud said on Friday. “These went too close to the ceiling.” Continue reading...

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12 h. ago Sparkler candles on champagne bottles revealed as likely cause of Swiss ski resort fire that killed 40

Dramatic footage shows ‘flares’ on champagne bottles catching fire on the bar’s ceiling

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12 h. ago Investigation continues into the New Year's Eve bar fire in Switzerland, in photos

Swiss investigators say they believe sparklers on Champagne bottles ignited the fatal fire at a Swiss ski resort when they came too close to the ceiling of a bar crowded with New Year’s Eve revelers.

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13 h. ago Switzerland resort fire ‘likely started by sparklers in champagne bottles’, says attorney general – live updates

Officials say 40 people were killed and 119 injured, with some in hospital still unidentified due to ‘horrific’ injuriesItaly’s ambassador to Switzerland Gian Lorenzo Cornado has said that all bar five of the 112 injured have been identified now, reports Reuters. Swiss officials are yet to give an update on this and have not shared the names of any victims or injured.Six Italians are still missing and 13 hospitalised, he added. Three Italians were repatriated on Thursday and three more will follow on Friday, he said.It’s the grief, as if we have all lost a loved one. Continue reading...

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13 h. ago Switzerland fire latest: Sparkler candles on champagne bottles revealed as likely cause of deadly blaze

Swiss Police have confirmed around 40 people have died after a fire ripped through a bar in a popular Swiss ski resort

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14 h. ago Mum's desperate plea to find son, 16, and nine friends missing after Swiss ski resort fire

At least 47 people dead after sparklers inside champagne bottles appeared to ignite the venue’s basement ceiling

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16 h. ago Pictured: Moment champagne bottle sparklers turned New Year's Eve party into deadly inferno in Swiss ski resort bar

Image shows flames starting to take hold in the ceiling of the basement bar as sparklers are held aloft inside champagne bottles

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19 h. ago Moment waitress carried by colleague holds sparkler in the air before deadly blaze rips through Swiss nightclub, killing 47

Witnesses say a sparkler in a champagne bottle is believed to have caused the inferno in the Swiss bar, where around 200 partygoers had gathered to celebrate New Year's Eve.

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36 h. ago Moment Swiss NYE nightclub fire that killed 47 people started: Video shows ceiling catching fire after 'waiter held up sparkler in champagne bottle'

Witnesses described seeing people burning and suffocating to death as they raced to escape the 'horror movie'.

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37 h. ago Promo video from Le Constellation bar shows champagne sparklers held inches from ceiling

The blaze at Le Constellation bar, it is being speculated, may have been caused by sparkler-lit champagne bottles. Swiss police have said 'several tens of people' are presumed dead

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39 h. ago Moment Swiss NYE nightclub fire that killed up to 40 people started: Video shows ceiling catching fire after 'waiter held up sparkler in champagne bottle

Witnesses described seeing people burning and suffocating to death as they raced to escape the 'horror movie'.

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2 w. ago US legislators say justice department is violating law by not releasing all Epstein files

Todd Blanche, deputy attorney general, says release of files won’t include full set, prompting outrage from lawmakersUS politics live – latest updatesTodd Blanche, the deputy attorney general, said that the Department of Justice will not release all its files related to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on Friday, despite the deadline stated in the law. Blanche’s comments drew sharp rebuke from Capitol Hill, where top legislators threatened legal action “in the face of this violation of federal law”.Speaking in an interview on Fox News on Friday morning, Blanche said: “I expect we’re going to release several hundred thousand documents today, and those documents will come in all different forms, photographs and other materials associated with all of the investigations into Mr Epstein”. Continue reading...

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4 w. ago Pam Bondi tells law enforcement agencies to investigate antifa groups for ‘tax crimes’

Exclusive: Move is part of Trump’s broader crackdown on leftwing groups, including designation of antifa as ‘domestic terrorism’ groupUS politics live – latest updatesThe US attorney general, Pam Bondi, instructed law enforcement officials on Thursday to investigate antifa and other supposed domestic terror groups, and specifically directed them to search for “tax crimes” the groups may have committed, according to a memo obtained by the Guardian.The document signals how the Trump administration and Bondi are ramping up efforts to crack down on leftwing groups. Antifa, short for antifascist, is not a clearly defined organization, but rather a loose network of activists. Trump signed an executive order in September declaring it a domestic terrorism organization – something legal experts say he does not have the authority to do. Continue reading...

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