Swiss prosecutors investigate bar owners after fire that killed 40

(Patria) - After a fire that killed at least 40 people on New Year's Eve in Switzerland, prosecutors have launched a criminal investigation against two managers of the bar where the tragedy occurred.

The information was confirmed in a statement on Saturday by the prosecutor's office in the canton of Valais, Reuters reports.

According to the statement, the two managers are suspected of negligent homicide, negligent bodily harm, and causing a fire through negligence.

Bar owners Jacques and Jessica Moretti have been questioned in the investigation, and the chief prosecutor of Valais, Béatrice Pilloud, said investigators had questioned the couple as "persons called to provide information."

Swiss newspaper Blick reports that the focus of the investigation is on the owners, who have disappeared and begun removing all traces of the bar from the internet.

For example, on New Year's Eve, videos from "Le Constellation" were still available on Jennifer Moretti's YouTube channel, but just a few hours later they were deleted. Soon after, the entire channel was removed.

It is assumed that they attempted to conceal evidence of problematic modifications they had made themselves in the basement bar, as first reported by the portal "Inside Paradeplatz."

The Moretti couple took over the venue in 2015, and Jacques proudly boasted in a then-article for the newspaper "Le Nouvelliste" about the renovation work he had carried out himself.

Nevertheless, journalists from Blick managed to find some of the deleted photos, which reveal potentially dangerous interventions.

The photos show how the staircase leading from the basement bar to the ground floor was narrowed during the renovation. Additionally, they installed a soundproofing ceiling cover themselves, the very one that caught fire on the fateful night.

Although it has not been confirmed whether cheap and highly flammable foam was used, pyrotechnics expert Erich Frey (66) explained to Blick that the age of the material also plays a key role.

- If the plastic is old or brittle, it ignites extremely quickly when in contact with fire - Frey stated.

In addition to the owners' responsibility, questions are increasingly being raised about the fire safety inspections conducted by the relevant authorities.

The owner told the media company Tamedia that inspections took place more or less regularly. In the approximately ten years the bar was in operation, three inspections were reportedly carried out.

However, the authorities are currently refusing to provide the media with specific information about when exactly these inspections occurred. Future investigations should determine whether there was any negligence on the part of the authorities.

Jacques Moretti told the portal "20 Minuten" that he wants to cooperate with investigators. The full truth about the tragic event should be known after the investigation is completed.

Let us recall, according to official data, 40 people died and 119 were injured in the fire that occurred during the New Year's Eve celebration at the "Le Constellation" bar in the famous ski resort of Crans-Montana in southwestern Switzerland.

The fire in the bar broke out at 1:30 a.m. The authorities confirmed that people of various nationalities were in the bar. The chief regional prosecutor noted that the authorities are treating the case as a fire and that the possibility of an attack has been ruled out.