The Swiss bar that was the scene of a fire which killed 40 people and injured 116 had not undergone safety checks for five years, authorities have said. The mayor of Crans-Montana, Nicolas Feraud, told a Tuesday news conference that he could not explain why Le Constellation bar had not been checked in so long, but that the council was 'profoundly sorry'. The venues should have been checked annually. We regret that - we owe it to the families and we will accept the responsibility, he said.
He added that sparklers - which are believed to have caused the fire when they were raised too close to the ceiling - will be banned in local venues. Local authorities will now bring in an external contractor to inspect and audit all 128 venues in the area. Feraud conceded there was a team of five people inspecting more than 10,000 buildings in Crans-Montana and could not explain why the bar had not been inspected since 2019. Taking repeated questions on why the bar had not been checked in so long, Feraud said: I have no answer for you today.
We're profoundly sorry about that and I know how hard that will be for the families.
When the fire occurred on New Year's Day, the bar seemed to have many more people in it than legally permitted, which Feraud said was the responsibility of the managers of Le Constellation to regulate. Feraud said the maximum capacity was 200 people, but the bar allowed more than that on the night of the fire. Swiss prosecutors have placed the two bar managers, Jacques and Jessica Moretti, under criminal investigation, suspected of manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence, and arson by negligence. Investigators are examining the use of sparklers and the bar's ceiling materials, which could have intensified the fire.
This tragedy has raised pressing questions about fire safety regulations and inspections in Switzerland, calling for a thorough review of local compliance practices.
He added that sparklers - which are believed to have caused the fire when they were raised too close to the ceiling - will be banned in local venues. Local authorities will now bring in an external contractor to inspect and audit all 128 venues in the area. Feraud conceded there was a team of five people inspecting more than 10,000 buildings in Crans-Montana and could not explain why the bar had not been inspected since 2019. Taking repeated questions on why the bar had not been checked in so long, Feraud said: I have no answer for you today.
We're profoundly sorry about that and I know how hard that will be for the families.
When the fire occurred on New Year's Day, the bar seemed to have many more people in it than legally permitted, which Feraud said was the responsibility of the managers of Le Constellation to regulate. Feraud said the maximum capacity was 200 people, but the bar allowed more than that on the night of the fire. Swiss prosecutors have placed the two bar managers, Jacques and Jessica Moretti, under criminal investigation, suspected of manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence, and arson by negligence. Investigators are examining the use of sparklers and the bar's ceiling materials, which could have intensified the fire.
This tragedy has raised pressing questions about fire safety regulations and inspections in Switzerland, calling for a thorough review of local compliance practices.
