Teenage footballer Arthur Brodard, killed in Swiss bar fire, laid to rest

Teammates of 16-year-old footballer Arthur Brodard were among the mourners on Thursday as Switzerland held funerals for some victims of the New Year’s bar fire in Crans-Montana, which killed 40 people, most of them teenagers.

Brodard is one of seven victims of Lutry Football Club, the club said. Five others are fighting for their lives in hospitals.

Under a light snowfall, dozens of people, including fellow players, walked through the cobblestone streets of Lutry to the church with black umbrellas in hand before filling every pew, while more stood or sat in the aisles.

A large banner showed a drawing of Brodard in the arms of his younger brother Benjamin.

His mother Laetitia Brodard-Sitre described him as “responsible and friendly” and carried a white teddy bear and a single red rose – the colors of his team.

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At the beginning of the ceremony, a song called «One day in ⁠the wrong place» by France’s Calogero played on the speakers with the lyrics: «And it’s because they were there/One day in the wrong place.»

Brodard had reserved a table with friends at the bar Le Constellation on the night of the fire, his mother told Reuters last week.

Just over an hour before the fire, he texted her «Happy New Year Mom. I love you» and shared a disappearing video of them partying together, she said.

His photo, with messy brown hair and a Yorkshire Terrier ‘Lili’ in it, appeared in newspapers around the world as they sought information about his whereabouts in mortuaries and hospitals.

He was identified as one of the victims on January 3.

“Loved by all for his kindness, his commitment and dedication, he will forever be part of the Lutry Football Club family,” the club in the beautiful lakeside village east of the city of Lausanne told Swiss newspaper 24 heures.

Swiss authorities said this week that the bar at the luxury ski resort of Crans-Montana has not had a mandatory inspection since 2019 and questions remain about its safety standards.

Swiss prosecutors are investigating a couple who ran the bar and a group of victims’ families have filed legal complaints. The couple’s attorneys did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Lutry ceremony was one of two consecutive services for teenage fire victims at the same church.

Another joint funeral for two 14- and 15-year-old sisters took place earlier on Thursday in Lausanne. Local schools have mobilized mental health counselors to support students and teachers, the canton of Vaud said.

Twenty-one of the dead were from Switzerland, seven from France, six from Italy, and there was one Swiss-French dual nationality and one French-British-Israeli nationality. The remaining four were Romanian, Turkish, Belgian and Portuguese.

Published on January 8, 2026