A journalist at the press conference has just asked a question about liability, and whether officials will take steps to ensure the two French managers of the bar don't "just go back to France, given that France does not extradite its own citizens".

Attorney General Beatrice Pilloud replies that she is "not going to speak" about the French couple, adding that "for now, there is no penal liability which has been identified".

Speaking more generally, she adds: "When somebody has been interviewed to provide information, if there is a risk that they could fly, we can take measures against that."

The officials have been asked for more details about the sparklers used at the bar.

Prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud says that the sparklers "are birthday candles you can buy in a shop".

She explains "we can all have access to them" and says that an investigation will be looking into the sparklers and whether they are ok to use in a closed space.

A journalist asks the panel about the ceiling of the bar. Attorney General Beatrice Pilloud replies that the investigation is looking into the installation of foam, and it will determine whether it complied with regulations.

She adds that she can't say with certainty at this stage whether the foam did or did not comply, or if it was installed with or without authorisation.

"It's essential we don't make any assumptions... leave us to do our work," she tells the room.

The tragedy took place during a "festive holiday context" when the population in Valais doubles, says the director general of Valais Hospital.

The emergency centre was already busy on the night of the incident with "ordinary injuries", Eric Bonvin adds.

He says the Sion team responded "immediately", adding that "all of the injured received care".

Eric Bonvin, director general of Valais Hospital, says that 55 people with "severe injuries" were taken to hospital on the night of the incident.

Of these 55, 13 were able to return home and 11 remain at the hospital in Sion, he says.

Twenty-eight were then transferred to other Swiss hospitals or foreign hospitals, Bonvin adds.

Out of the 11 remaining in the Sion hospital, four are in intensive care in critical condition and three are receiving surgery, he says, and another four are having surgery at nearby Sierre Hospital.

Image source, Reuters

We are now hearing from Pierre-Antoine Lengen, head of the Swiss Judicial Police.

He says identifying the dead is the "absolute priority" at the moment and adds that almost every cantonal police body is being leveraged.

Officials can call on a structure called Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) to identify victims of disasters. This includes police, forensics, doctors and dentists.

Lengen says the structure was called upon in 2004 when the Boxing Day tsunami included Swiss victims.

"No mistakes can be permitted. We need to give the correct remains back to the families," he says.

The attorney general says the two French managers of the bar were interviewed as well as people who escaped the fire, which spread rapidly across the venue.

Beatrice Pilloud says the interviews helped them establish a list of who was present during the incident.

Beatrice Pilloud, Valais attorney general, says officials "are pursuing several hypotheses; no scenario is being ruled out".

"We currently assume that the fire was caused by sparklers attached to champagne bottles that came too close to the ceiling," she continues.

"This caused the fire to spread quickly. Initial evidence has been secured at the scene."

Image source, Reuters

Police commander Frédéric Gisler confirms that 113 of the 119 people who were injured have been formally identified.

The formal identification process of the six others is still taking place.

Of those identified, he says there are:

• 71 Swiss citizens
• 14 French
• 11 Italian
• Four Serbs
• One Bosnian
• One Belgian
• One citizen from Luxembourg
• One Polish citizen
• One Portugese

He says 14 others have unknown nationalities and warns these figures may change.

The formal identification for the 40 victims is continuing, says police commander Frederic Gisler: "That is our priority".

He repeats that they have the "resources necessary to do that" with specialist support.

But there are formal processes that "take time" and involve working with several other countries.

Image source, Reuters

Mathias Reynard explains that a ceremony will be held in Crans-Montana on Friday 9 January and it will be an opportunity for people to come together to meet as a community "to live this national mourning together".

He adds that a book of condolences will be put online from Saturday for anyone who wants to share a message of support to those who have been impacted by the fire.

Mathias Reynard, president of the Valais region, thanks French authorities for their support and offer to provide care for those injured. The French ministry of health assured Reynard that France will support Switzerland.

"Transfers have already started towards hospitals in France," he adds, saying that specialised doctors are also stepping in to support those in Valais hospitals.

Italy's foreign minister also came to Switzerland today and together with Reynard they spent a "solemn moment but also to meet the families of the Italian communities affected by this".

Transfer of some of those injured have also gone to the north of Italy, he adds.

Around 50 of those injured "have been transferred or will be transferred soon to European countries in specialised centres for severe burns".

Forty people have died, Reynard says. These figures are "stunning" he adds.

He offers his condolences and says that "many people" are receiving care and are in critical condition.

Mathias Reynard, head of the regional government of the Valais Canton, says his thoughts are with the families, victims and injured.

He describes "each minute that passes without answers" as "unbearable", and says teams have been doing the maximum to save lives, support families and leave nobody alone.

He says they have also been working to identify victims "as quickly as possible".

He thanks services for the "cooperation that has been put in place", referencing the hospital in Valais and offers of help from other hospitals elsewhere.

Image source, Reuters

After a slight delay the news conference held by Swiss authorities begins.

It starts with a bit of housekeeping, as speakers are introduced.

Remember, you can follow the updates live at the top of this page - we'll bring you more updates shortly.

Image source, EVN

Nick Johnson
Reporting from Crans-Montana

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

Groups of tearful families and teenagers are dotted around the police cordon at Le Constellation.

One large family group distributed bunches of flowers to one another before approaching the fencing and leaving their tributes. Many rely on each other for both physical and emotional support. Pain shared.

A group of girls, who don’t look any older than 16, light candles before joining in a tearful group hug.

Another group of teenage boys join together to read some of the messages which have been left at the makeshift shrine.

Just outside town, a conference centre is being used to provide support to the families of the missing. Many of the cars arriving have either Swiss or Italian number plates.

While much of Crans-Montana tries to carry on as normal, there is no escaping the devastation which has torn through this Alpine town and its community.

Swiss authorities will shortly give an update on the fatal fire at a bar in a ski resort in southern Switzerland in the early hours of New Year's Day.

You can follow along by clicking watch live at the top of this page, and we'll be bringing you the latest updates.

Image source, AFP

Crans-Montana resident Elliot Alvarez says he was at the bar next door to Le Constellation at the time of the fire, and 10 minutes earlier he had chatted with friends who were going there.

"We received a call from a friend who was clearly panicking on the phone," he tells AFP news agency, who translated the interview, adding that they thought it was an explosion.

He describes a large emergency response team at the scene, adding: "It was quite shocking to see people lying on the ground being treated, people coming out, people with burns. It wasn't nice to see."

Elliot says that locals would often frequent the bar and knew the staff very well, "some of whom became friends overtime".

"It's an institution. I can't think of any other word to describe it."

Nikos Papanikolaou
BBC News

Image source, Supplied

A Greek teenager who is a permanent resident of Switzerland is reported to be among dozens of people missing following the deadly incident at the ski resort of Crans-Montana.

According to officials I’ve contacted, who've said they’re monitoring the situation closely, and reports in Greek media, Alice Kallergis, who holds dual Greek and Swiss nationality, was at the bar on New Year's Eve with friends. She lives permanently in Switzerland.

Her brother has posted an appeal on Instagram, saying the family has had "no news" and urging anyone with information to contact them.

He added that the 15-year-old had been at the venue with three friends, who are also reported missing.

Greek consular authorities say they are continuing to monitor the situation closely.

We're expecting to get an update from Swiss authorities and emergency services in the next hour, at 15:00 local time (14:00 GMT).

We'll be carrying a live feed of the news conference - you'll be able to follow it by clicking watch live at the top of this page.

And of course we'll keep you updated with key lines, reaction and analysis from our correspondents at the scene. Stay with us.