Swiss authorities have taken one of the owners of a ski resort bar into custody as they investigate a New Year's Eve fire that killed 40 people and injured more than 100 others. Prosecutors in the Valais region say co-owner Jacques Moretti, a French citizen, is suspected of negligent manslaughter, negligent bodily harm, and negligent arson in connection with the blaze at Le Constellation, a basement bar in the resort town of Crans-Montana, per the BBC. Swiss media report that Moretti was detained as a possible flight risk. He and his French wife, Jessica, who co-owns the venue, were earlier placed under formal criminal investigation.
A statement from the region's top prosecutor notes that Jessica Moretti will remain free under judicial supervision, reports the AP. Officials believe the fire began when partygoers lifted champagne bottles adorned with sparklers, igniting soundproofing foam on the ceiling. The incident quickly turned deadly, killing 40 people and injuring 116, many of them under 20 years old. It has since emerged that the bar hadn't been subject to safety inspections for five years, raising questions about oversight in one of Switzerland's best-known ski destinations, per the BBC.
On Friday, Switzerland marked a national day of mourning, with a minute of silence observed across the country. Church bells rang for five minutes afterward, trains and trams stopped, and Zurich's airport briefly put its operations on pause. In Crans-Montana, local residents and visitors honored first responders with a standing ovation at a memorial event. In a Jan. 6 statement cited by NBC News, the Morettis said they were "devastated and overcome with grief" at the tragedy, and that their "thoughts are constantly with the victims, their loved ones who have been bereaved so brutally and prematurely, and all those who are fighting for their lives."
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