Tragedy struck in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana last New Year's Eve as a devastating fire ripped through a popular bar, claiming the lives of 40 people and leaving 116 others seriously injured. The identities of all those affected have now been confirmed by police, who are investigating how such a catastrophic event could occur.
The investigation is focusing on the alleged negligence of the bar's owners, Jacques and Jessica Moretti, who are being questioned over possible crimes including homicide by negligence. While they remain under surveillance but not arrested, as per public prosecutor's assessment, many Swiss and international observers are questioning their safety from prosecution due to evidence suggesting that more than just a 'careless mistake' happened.
Police have so far revealed no concrete details about the cause of the fire, which started in the basement after sparklers attached to champagne bottles were held too close to the ceiling. However, images on social media suggest that the ceiling was clad with soundproofing foam, adding fuel to speculation about how such a tragedy could occur.
The victims who died in the blaze included 21 Swiss nationals, nine French citizens including two with dual nationality, six Italians, and one person each from Belgium, Portugal, Romania, and Turkey. The average age of those killed was just 19, with many being minors – 20 were among the dead.
Efforts are now underway to repatriate the bodies of five Italian nationals back to Italy. Meanwhile, Italian officials are demanding answers about how the tragedy could have occurred and whether there was a failure in enforcing safety standards at the bar.
As the investigation continues, calls for greater accountability and tougher regulations on the use of sparklers – known as 'Bengal fountains' – in public venues are growing louder. The question now is: will those responsible face justice for their role in one of Switzerland's most devastating disasters?
The investigation is focusing on the alleged negligence of the bar's owners, Jacques and Jessica Moretti, who are being questioned over possible crimes including homicide by negligence. While they remain under surveillance but not arrested, as per public prosecutor's assessment, many Swiss and international observers are questioning their safety from prosecution due to evidence suggesting that more than just a 'careless mistake' happened.
Police have so far revealed no concrete details about the cause of the fire, which started in the basement after sparklers attached to champagne bottles were held too close to the ceiling. However, images on social media suggest that the ceiling was clad with soundproofing foam, adding fuel to speculation about how such a tragedy could occur.
The victims who died in the blaze included 21 Swiss nationals, nine French citizens including two with dual nationality, six Italians, and one person each from Belgium, Portugal, Romania, and Turkey. The average age of those killed was just 19, with many being minors – 20 were among the dead.
Efforts are now underway to repatriate the bodies of five Italian nationals back to Italy. Meanwhile, Italian officials are demanding answers about how the tragedy could have occurred and whether there was a failure in enforcing safety standards at the bar.
As the investigation continues, calls for greater accountability and tougher regulations on the use of sparklers – known as 'Bengal fountains' – in public venues are growing louder. The question now is: will those responsible face justice for their role in one of Switzerland's most devastating disasters?
I'm still trying to process what happened at that bar in Crans-Montana 
It's not just the loss of life, but also how it all went down 
The fact that soundproofing foam was used on the ceiling is a huge red flag 
and it's crazy that no one noticed or acted sooner 
. I'm not saying those owners are definitely guilty, but come on, 40 people dead and 116 injured? That's just heartbreaking 
. We need to make sure justice is served for the victims and their families 
. And can we talk about how many of those who died were minors? 
This tragedy is just heartbreaking, 40 lives lost, it's just not right... I mean, you can't put a price on lives, right? 
The fact that the fire started in the basement and was caused by some sparklers being too close to the ceiling just shows how careless and irresponsible some people can be. Soundproofing foam should never be used as a makeshift material for decoration, it's just not worth the risk. And to think that there were minors among those who died... 
My heart goes out to the families of the victims.
The fact that the owners are being questioned for possible crimes is a good start, but it's not enough if there's evidence that suggests more than just negligence was involved. We need to make sure that safety regulations are enforced properly in public venues, especially when it comes to using sparklers.
. Let's hope that this tragedy will be a wake-up call for everyone involved. 
it just seems like a huge oversight and now people are dying for it...i think the owners should be held accountable for their negligence, but idk if thats enough punishment 
... I mean, 40 people lost their lives and so many more got hurt? It's just not fair 
. I mean, who doesn't know about fire safety regulations? Like, we learn about it in school all the time 
.
. And yeah, it'd be great if there were tougher regulations on sparklers too 
.
.
.
19-year-old kids should not have lost their lives due to someone else's careless mistake 
And now they're demanding answers from Italy? Yeah, that's exactly what needs to happen here. The owners need to be held accountable for their actions. We can't just let this kind of thing slide and expect everything to go back to normal 
.
. My heart goes out to the families & loved ones of those who died 
.
.
. We need to make sure that places like this are held to higher standards, especially when it comes to safety 
.
.
. We need to make sure they're held accountable and that something changes so this never happens again 
As a result, I think we need to be calling for greater accountability and stricter safety regulations on sparklers in public venues. We should all be holding those responsible accountable for their actions, especially when it comes to keeping people safe 
.
Safety regulations need to be stricter around sparklers, no question!