Grieving Swiss town holds silent procession for victims of deadly bar fire

Hundreds of people silently filed through the frosty streets of the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana on Sunday to remember victims of a New Year bar fire that killed at least 40 people and injured more than a hundred others.

CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland — Hundreds of people silently filed through the frosty streets of the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana on Sunday to remember victims of a New Year bar fire that killed at least 40 people and injured more than a hundred others.

Following a packed church mass that spilled outdoors, the crowd slowly walked towards an impromptu shrine to the victims next to the "Le Constellation" bar that went up in flames in the early hours of January 1.

"It's to be together with the people who are suffering, who have lost somebody in the family, children or friends," said 76-year-old Charlotte Schumacher, a participant in the procession. "I know people who have lost their grandchildren."

People gather around a makeshift memorial to pay their respects by laying flowers, candles and messages near "Le Constellation" bar, on Sunday, in Crans-Montana.Maxime Schmid / AFP via Getty ImagesTeenagers as young as 14 or 15 years old were among the dead, and the severity of the burns suffered by the victims has made the process of identifying them difficult.

Attendees of the interconfessional church service hugged and shook hands as the prosperous Alpine town sought to pull together to process the trauma of one of the deadliest tragedies to strike modern Switzerland.