Crans-Montana authorities admit to safety oversight
“These soundproof panels have never been inspected, as our safety managers apparently did not deem it necessary,” he said. “The courts will have to determine whether this should have been done regardless.”
Prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation into the owners of the bar, and believe the fire was started by sparks from fireworks that ignited the foam above.
One video of the celebration last Thursday shows young people reacting slowly to the flames on the foam, before panic sets in when dozens of them realise the danger and try to flee up a single staircase to the street.
Police have identified all 116 people injured in the fire after several days of seeking to confirm identities, including through the use of DNA, because of the severity of the burns. More than half the injured are Swiss.
The Australian government has said an Australian is among the injured, a fact confirmed by Swiss police on Tuesday, but no other details have been released about the person’s identity, location or injuries. Police said 83 of the victims remained in hospital on Tuesday.
The bar owners, Jacques and Jessica Moretti, issued a statement on Tuesday (Wednesday AEDT) saying they were devastated by the fire and had full confidence in the investigation.
Candles, flags and flowers honour the victims of the fire at the bar in Crans-Montana.Credit: AP
“We are devastated and overwhelmed with grief, our thoughts constantly with the victims, their loved ones bereaved so brutally and prematurely, and all those who are fighting for their lives,” the couple said in a statement reported by Swiss media.
“No words can adequately describe the tragedy that occurred that night at the Constellation.
“We will not attempt to shirk our responsibilities in any way.”
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A ceremony to honour the victims will take place on Friday in Martigny, the canton of Valais announced, with French President Emmanuel Macron expected to join Swiss and other leaders at the event.
Most of those killed were teenagers, authorities said, with the youngest aged only 14. The injured include 68 Swiss citizens, 21 French nationals, 10 Italians, four Serbs, two Poles and one person each from Australia, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Czech Republic, Luxembourg, Portugal and the Republic of Congo, according to a police statement. There were also four dual nationals: of France and Finland, France and Italy, Switzerland and Belgium, and Italy and the Philippines.
With Reuters
