Deadly New Year’s Eve bar explosion prompts criminal investigation in Switzerland.
Photo Credit: Valais Police
FOLLOWING a devastating explosion that left 40 dead and 119 injured at a New Year’s Eve party in a bar at the Crans-Montana ski resort in Switzerland, two bar managers are currently under criminal investigation. The development was announced by Swiss authorities on the afternoon of Saturday, January 3.
The bar blaze that devastated a Swiss town
The incident occurred shortly before 1:30am at the Le Constellation bar, a popular spot for skiers. The venue had been celebrating the arrival of the new year and around 100 people were in the bar, but multiple sudden and deadly explosions triggered a blaze described as “very violent” by Swiss police.
Emergency services were alerted to the incident when smoke was detected inside the bar and an alarm was raised. Shortly thereafter, police, firefighters, and several helicopters rushed to the scene to provide aid and transport the dozens injured to nearby hospitals in Geneva and Lausanne.
Bar managers under investigation for negligence; prohibited fireworks, unsafe conditions, and difficult to escape
Swiss prosecutors in Valais have confirmed that the managers of the bar, a French couple named Jacques and Jessica Moretti, are under investigation and suspected of manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence and arson by negligence.
Investigators postulate that the blaze began in the bar’s basement and authorities leading the investigation are currently honing in on the possible cause of the fire. It is suspected that pyrotechnics – more specifically, the champagne sparklers lit inside the bar and held too close to the ceiling – began the flame and that the flammable ceiling foam kindled it. The village where the bar is located has multiple posted signs prohibiting the use of fireworks.
The location and the quality of the bar’s emergency exits are also under scrutiny.
Identification process underway as community mourns; many young victims among the dead
Amid the investigations, the process of identifying the victims is underway, with the collaboration of the Zurich Forensic Institute, and is expected to be completed by the afternoon of Sunday, January 4. On the afternoon of Saturday, Swiss authorities stated that they had been able to identify several victims, among them: a 21-year-old woman, an 18-year-old man, a 16-year-old girl and a 16-year-old boy, as well as eight Swiss nationals. The dead also likely include people from multiple nationalities, as the bar is a popular tourist hotspot hosting a blowout holiday event. Among the dead and missing are many teenagers as well, since the bar was popular with the younger crowd in the ski resort town where the drinking age is 16.
While the investigation is underway, the Swiss municipality of Crans-Montana is in mourning, with visitors leaving bouquets of flowers, plushies, and letters of love, hope, mourning, and support outside the police barriers at the bar.
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