Mayor investigated after deadly Crans-Montana fire

The Swiss prosecutor’s office has expanded its investigation into the fire at a ski bar in Crans-Montana that killed 41 people, mostly teenagers. The mayor of the town, Nicolas Féraud, has been added to the list of suspects.

He is named as a defendant in one of the documents and is due to be questioned on April 13. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment. However, he had previously admitted that the municipality had failed to carry out several annual safety inspections. In January he told reporters they were not aware the inspections carried out did not meet the requirements.

The Valais cantonal prosecutor’s office confirmed that the investigation had been extended to include new suspects, including those suspected of negligent homicide but did not disclose their names.

The fire on January 1 destroyed the Le Constellation bar and became one of the worst tragedies in modern Swiss history. Among the victims were Italian citizens, who lost six people in the fire. Several victims are still in the hospital with burns.

The investigation initially focused on the bar’s owners, Jacques and Jessica Moretti, who expressed their sadness over the tragedy and promised to cooperate with investigators.

(reuters, max)