One of the co-owners of a Swiss bar where a devastating New Year’s Eve fire killed 40 people has been detained as prosecutors investigate possible negligence.
Authorities in the canton of Valais said Jacques Moretti, a French national who co-owns the Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana with his wife Jessica, was taken into custody as a potential flight risk, with both suspected of negligent manslaughter, bodily harm and arson.
The blaze, which injured 116 people—many of them under 20—is believed to have started when sparklers attached to champagne bottles ignited soundproofing foam on the ceiling of the basement venue, which had reportedly gone five years without a safety inspection.
A chain of negligences and corruption