Swiss prosecutors said have ordered one of the two owners of a ski resort bar where a fire on New Year’s Day killed 40 people to be detained due to flight risk, with local media saying the order had been carried out.
Prosecutors are investigating the French owners on suspicion of crimes including homicide by negligence, while victims’ families have filed legal complaints over the fire at the “Le Constellation” bar in Crans-Montana in the Canton of Valais.
Shortly after Swiss newspaper 24 Heures reported that one of the couple, Jacques Moretti, has been remanded in custody, prosecutors said they had issued an order for him to be held.
Under Swiss law, a person is held in custody until a court rules within 48 hours on whether their detention is warranted.
The Valais police have chosen not to issue a statement regarding the incident.
A devastating fire at the Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, a renowned Alpine ski resort, has claimed the lives of 40 individuals. The tragic event has sent shockwaves through the community. Source: AFP / Maxime Schmid
The couple has said they would cooperate fully with the investigation. More than half of those who died were teenagers and a further 116 people were injured, many of them seriously.
Several French and Italian citizens were among the dead, and Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called for stern punishment to be meted out to those responsible for the blaze.
On Friday morning, Jacques and Jessica Moretti appeared at the prosecutors’ office in Sion for a scheduled hearing. Several hours later, Swiss broadcaster RTS captured footage of Jessica Moretti leaving the office, notably without her spouse.
Dozens of people also stood near the shuttered bar in nearby Crans-Montana in silence, heads bowed under heavy snowfall.
Authorities placed hundreds of letters, teddy bears and bouquets of flowers for the fire victims beneath a protective igloo.
Witnesses and prosecutors have said the blaze appeared to have been started by the use of sparkling candles that set foam soundproofing on the basement ceiling alight.
Questions remain about oversight at the bar, which the local mayor admitted this week had missed multiple safety checks.
