Swiss prosecutors place bar managers under investigation after deadly fire | Crans-Montana fire
Swiss prosecutors said a criminal investigation has been launched against two managers of the bar where at least 40 people died in a fire on New Year’s Eve.
The prosecutor’s office of the canton of Valais said in a statement on Saturday that the crimes the suspects are suspected of committing are murder by negligence, causing bodily harm by negligence and arson by negligence.
Investigators believe the deadly fire at Le Constellation bar in the Crans-Montana ski resort was caused by fountain sparklers mounted on champagne bottles and held too close to the ceiling, killing nearly 40 people and injuring more than 100 others.
The fire, which broke out around 01.30 on Thursday, engulfed the bar where mostly young people were celebrating the New Year.
In a photo circulating online on Friday, the ceiling of the basement where the New Year’s party was held was covered with foam soundproof panels and fireworks appeared to catch fire when held aloft.
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.
While the process of determining the identities of the dead and injured continued on Saturday, their relatives were desperately waiting for news.
Officials said they will also look at other security measures at the facility, including fire extinguishers and escape routes. The district’s attorney general 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. He added: “Something went wrong and someone made a mistake, I’m sure of that.”
Nicolas Féraud, mayor of the municipality of Crans-Montana, told RTS radio that he was convinced controls at the bar were not lax, the broadcaster reported.
