The Italian prosecutor’s office launched an investigation into the owners of the Swiss bar, whose fire claimed 41 lives during New Year’s Eve celebrations. Italian media reported on Tuesday. TASR informs about it according to the report of the AFP agency.
The owners of the Le Constellation bar in the Crans-Montana ski resort Jacques Moretti and his wife Jessica are suspected of “a disaster caused by negligence, from multiple involuntary manslaughter, arson and causing very serious injuries”as well as from a violation of accident prevention regulations, according to media reports.
Italy has launched its own investigation into the fire alongside an investigation by Swiss authorities. Six Italian citizens were among the victims of the fire. 115 other people were injured in the tragic incident.
The Swiss prosecutor’s office said that the disaster was caused by sparklers or other fireworks, which bar visitors celebrating the arrival of the new year attached to champagne bottles. It is assumed that they were held close to the ceiling, which caught fire, and in a very short time the interior was completely engulfed in flames.
They are in Switzerland Jacques and Jessica Moretti charged with negligent homicide, negligent assault and arson. A total of nine people are under investigation in this country in connection with the case, including the mayor of Crans-Montana, Nicolas Feraud.
He testified before a Swiss court on Monday, claiming that he did not know that the bar had not undergone security checks for six years. The quick release of French national Jacques Moretti immediately after the fire also caused outrage in Italy. The government in Rome temporarily recalled its ambassador to Switzerland in protest.
