Swiss authorities said on Tuesday that a bar that caught fire at a luxury ski resort on New Year's Eve, killing 40 people, had not undergone a mandatory annual inspection since 2019, underscoring concerns about what safety measures were in place.
The Crans-Montana mayor's office said the bar did not have a fire alarm because it was not mandatory for premises of its size. Other questions remain unanswered about the fire that killed or injured people from around the world.
Who were the victims?
Twenty-one of the dead were from Switzerland, seven from France, six from Italy, one dead had Swiss-French dual citizenship and one had French-British-Israeli citizenship. The remaining four victims were from Romania, Turkey, Belgium and Portugal.
Among the dead were 26 teenagers. Six of them were 15 years old, while two were only 14.
Among the 116 injured were citizens of more than a dozen countries. Most of them were from Switzerland. Twenty-one were from France and ten from Italy. In addition to the four persons with dual citizenship (French-Finnish, Swiss-Belgian, French-Italian and Italian-Philippine), the rest were citizens of Belgium, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Australia, Luxembourg, the Republic of Congo, Serbia, Poland and Bosnia.
Why were some of the victims minors?
Crans-Montana residents revealed that the bar was popular among school-age teenagers who were just starting to go out in the evening. In Switzerland, beer and wine can already be consumed by people over 16. The average age of the fire victims was 19.
How did the fire start?
Prosecutors believe that sparking candles ignited the ceiling of the basement bar "Le Constellation" when witnesses said they saw an employee on the shoulders of a colleague carrying bottles of so-called fountain candles.
Why did the ceiling catch fire?
The basement ceiling was covered in foam soundproofing material, which was deemed acceptable at the time of the bar's last safety inspection in 2019. In fact, Swiss law does not require authorities to verify such materials, but Crans-Montana Mayor Nicolas Feraud said the courts must decide whether it should have been done anyway.
How many exits were there?
Feraud said the bar had exits upstairs and in the basement, with each floor designed for a maximum of 100 people. However, he could not clarify whether the basement exit worked. Only the investigation will reveal that.
What happened to the owners of the bar?
Swiss prosecutors have opened criminal proceedings against the two French owners of the bar on suspicion of three offences: manslaughter, negligent homicide, negligent bodily harm and negligent fire. They have not yet been formally charged and are not in custody.
What penalties do they face?
If found guilty of all three offences, they face a maximum sentence of 4.5 years, according to Swiss lawyer Nicolas Rivard. If it is proven that they knew about the fire risk and did not take precautions, they face a harsher sentence of at least five years.
What legal recourse do the victims' families have?
There are no class actions in Switzerland. Victims' families can seek compensation by joining the prosecutor's action as plaintiffs, lawyers explained. Crans-Montana is seeking to join the case as a party, but this has not yet been approved.
How have the Swiss authorities reacted?
The Swiss cantons have suspended plans to relax fire safety regulations. Crans-Montana has banned sparking candles on its premises. Flags are lowered to half-staff and Friday will be a day of national mourning.