US EditionSwiss open criminal case against managers of ski resort bar after deadly fire
At least 40 died and 119 were injured in a blaze likely started by sparklers on champagne bottles, with prosecutors investigating safety compliance and negligence.
- Swiss prosecutors opened a criminal investigation into Le Constellation's managers, Jacques Moretti and Jessica Anne Jeanne Moretti, after the blaze that killed at least 40 people, charging them with manslaughter, bodily harm, and arson by negligence.
- Beatrice Pilloud said investigators' leading hypothesis points to sparklers or Bengal candles attached to champagne bottles igniting soundproofing foam on Le Constellation bar's low wooden ceiling.
- One report found 119 people injured and 113 formally identified, with severe burns complicating identification and families supplying DNA samples as officials warn the process could take days.
- Prosecutors warned they could bring charges if investigations find criminal liability as Pilloud probes fire extinguishers, escape routes, emergency exits and soundproofing material, while the Morettis say they followed safety rules.
- Dozens of badly burned victims were flown to neighbouring countries for urgent treatment, while officials warned identifications could take days, leaving families in an agonising wait as communities held vigils and planned memorial masses.
244 Articles
244 Articles
New Hampshire Union Leader
DNyuzMany killed in Swiss fire were teenagers, authorities say
The toll in lives lost to the New Year’s fire in Switzerland came into focus Sunday as authorities provided new details on those killed, who represented a wide geography but largely perished in their teens, some as young as 14…
Jewish teen sisters among dead after Swiss New Year’s bar inferno, negligence probe launched
There is also continuing concern for another teenage girl, Charlotte Needham/Niddam, described in multiple reports as an Israeli citizen with additional citizenship. By Jewish Breaking News Two Jewish teen sisters, Alicia Gunst (15) and Diana Gunst (14), have been confirmed among the dead from the catastrophic fire that tore through the Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, according to KAN and Israeli reporting. The blaze erupted in the early …
The investigation seeks to clarify whether the owners of the bar are responsible for the fire possibly caused by flares
What Caused That Horrific Alpine Bar Fire?
(Switzerland) – The facts are horrific. Bodies so badly burned that authorities are having difficulty identifying remains. A group — largely teens — celebrating New Year’s Eve were trapped in a basement as flames raged. It’s not surprising to learn that the Swiss Alpine bar fire has been called one of the “most traumatic” events in Switzerland’s history. A signboard of the “Le Constellation” bar following the fire, in southwestern Switzerland,…
The two café owners are suspected of manslaughter due to negligence, among other things. Of the forty people killed, 24 were identified on Sunday. The youngest victim was 14 years old.
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