Bar managers under investigation for negligent homicide after New Year inferno

January 4, 2026 — 5:00

Geneva: Swiss prosecutors launched a criminal investigation against the owners of the bar, which was destroyed in a fire that killed 40 people, due to photographs showing that the flames spread through sound insulation material glued to the ceiling.

Police said the French couple is suspected of negligent homicide, negligent infliction of bodily harm and negligently causing a fire. This major development comes after days of growing concerns about young revelers being trapped in flames in the early hours of the New Year.

The move came after bar staff showed people in the crowd holding up champagne bottles, mounting small fireworks and creating sparks, while a video showed some people trying to extinguish flames that had spread to the ceiling.

Authorities confirmed that 119 people were injured in the fire that spread at Le Constellation bar in the resort town of Crans-Montana at around 1.30am on New Year’s Eve, many of whom were in critical condition with serious burns.

The couple, who bought the business in 2015, insisted they were complying with the law despite mounting criticism that hundreds of teenagers were crammed into the pub and scrambled to escape the fire.

“Everything was done according to the rules,” said Jacques Moretti, 49, co-owner of the bar. La Tribune de Genève newspaper.

Families continue to wait for news of their missing children as some of the burns are so severe that authorities estimate it will take several days to identify the individuals.

Local authorities confirmed on Saturday morning (late Saturday, AEDT) that four young Swiss nationals were among the dead.

Authorities, without naming names, said that among the dead were two women, ages 21 and 16, and two men, ages 18 and 16.

Mourners continued to gather in the street outside Le Constellation on Saturday; where residents and visitors left flowers and officials briefed the media on the investigation.

The Australian government confirmed that an Australian man was injured in the fire but did not disclose his name, location or extent of injuries. The government said the individual received medical care and his family received consular assistance.

Yaron Lavy, a teenager from Melbourne who was staying with his family in Crans-Montana, told this outlet he did not know any Australians who were in the bar on the night of the fire.

Swiss police said the injured included more than 70 Swiss citizens and more than 10 people from France and Italy, as well as citizens of Serbia, Bosnia, Luxembourg, Belgium, Portugal and Poland.

Most of the injured were in their teens to mid-20s, police said. Authorities planned to investigate whether the soundproofing material on the ceiling met regulations and whether candles were allowed in the bar.

Officials said they will also look at other security measures at the facility, including fire extinguishers and escape routes. The district attorney warned of possible investigations if any criminal liability is found.

“An accident this big in Switzerland with a fire means something is not working – maybe the material, maybe the organization at the scene,” Stéphane Ganzer, the Valais region’s top security official, told SRF public radio on Saturday.