Switzerland - 40 dead and 116 injured in fire in bar in Crans-Montana, Swiss ski resort, 1 January 2026

[Dotta]

There was a witness who said this exit door was añways closed to prevent people from leaving without paying

Imagine having an emergency exit
but locked and blocked
for such a grotesque reason

Honestly folks,
I throw up my hands over this kind of stupidity and lack of imagination.

You just couldn't make it up

 

[Dotta]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2007785335216906305

"A silent procession of mourning
filled the main street of Crans-Montana today
as more than 2,000 people attended a Mass in the Swiss ski resort
following the New Year fire which killed around 40 people.

People of all ages and many children
joined with police and firefighters in the bright morning sun
and stood in -8C outside St Christopher's Church in the town
where the service inside was relayed on speakers and on a big screen.

The Priest at one stage nearly broke down in tears
as he read a message
from Pope Leo to the grieving Alpine community.

The telegram from Pope Leo XIV said the Pontiff

'Prays to the Lord to welcome the deceased into his dwelling of peace and light,
and to support the courage of those
who suffer in their hearts or in their bodies.

May the Mother of God,
in her tenderness,
bring the comfort of faith to all those affected by this tragedy and keep them in hope'."

Rest in Peace to Victims.

 

[Rikissa]

Imagine having an emergency exit
but locked and blocked
for such a grotesque reason

Honestly folks,
I throw up my hands over this kind of stupidity and lack of imagination.

You just couldn't make it up

There are handles to emergency exit doors with an alarm system sounding when the doors are opened, the handles are easy to use when needed, but gives a loud alarm if someone is trying to use the door to sneak out. The handles are not that expensive, about €1100.

Larm för dörrar med handtag eller panikregel

Ser till att dörrarna kan öppnas av vem som helst, när som helst, i en nödsituation.

www.seton-sakerhet.se

 

[Sarahlou]

The owner of the Swiss ski bar at the centre of a New Year's Day inferno that claimed 40 lives and left 119 injured spent time in prison for 'fraud, kidnapping and false imprisonment' and was a known pimp, it emerged today.

On Saturday, multiple media outlets in France and Belgium reported that Mr Moretti, who is originally from the Mediterranean island of Corsica, is well known to the French authorities.

In 2005 he was implicated in a kidnap plot in Savoie, the Alpine department of France close to Crans–Montana, and incarcerated.

Le Parisien reports: 'According to our information, Jacques Moretti is no stranger to the French justice system.

Owner of bar where 40 died was jailed for fraud kidnapping and pimping

The owner of the Swiss ski bar at the centre of a New Year's Day inferno that claimed 40 lives and left 119 injured spent time in prison for 'fraud, kidnapping and false imprisonment' and was a known pimp, it emerged today.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[detective.moon]

maybe not very surprising with what we already know.. but i saw a witness in a video say this bar was popular with younger teens because they were known for not checking IDs for alcohol

 

[ChatteringBirds]

One of the victims was 16-year old Arthur Brodard, whose mother had been frantically searching for him.

A mother says goodbye to her son as Swiss community grieves after deadly fire

A Mass was held Sunday for victims of the New Year's Eve fire at a bar in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, which left 40 dead and many injured

abcnews.go.com

(Cry) I couldn't stop thinking about Arthur's parents and their heart-wrenching quotes. I had so hoped he'd be found in a hospital.

 

[Dotta]

One of the victims was 16-year old Arthur Brodard, whose mother had been frantically searching for him.

A mother says goodbye to her son as Swiss community grieves after deadly fire

A Mass was held Sunday for victims of the New Year's Eve fire at a bar in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, which left 40 dead and many injured

abcnews.go.com

From link above:

"In the crowded pews,
a grieving woman listened intently,
her hands clasped tightly and sometimes clasping rosary beads,
as speakers delivered readings in German, French and Italian.

A grieving mother.

One of the victims was 16-year old Arthur Brodard, whose mother had been frantically searching for him.

'Our Arthur has now left to party in paradise',
a visibly shaken Laetitia Brodard said in a Facebook story posted on Saturday night, speaking to camera.

'We can start our mourning,
knowing that he is in peace and in the light'.

In her Facebook post,
Brodard thanked those who
'testified their compassion, their love'
and to those who shared information as she anxiously searched and waited for news of her son.

Other parents and siblings are still waiting in anguish."

Hundreds march in silence to honor victims of Swiss bar fire that left 40 dead

Hundreds marched in silence Sunday to honor victims of the New Year’s Eve fire at a bar in Crans-Montana, Switzerland

abcnews.go.com

 

[mickey2942]

The owner of the Swiss ski bar at the centre of a New Year's Day inferno that claimed 40 lives and left 119 injured spent time in prison for 'fraud, kidnapping and false imprisonment' and was a known pimp, it emerged today.

On Saturday, multiple media outlets in France and Belgium reported that Mr Moretti, who is originally from the Mediterranean island of Corsica, is well known to the French authorities.

In 2005 he was implicated in a kidnap plot in Savoie, the Alpine department of France close to Crans–Montana, and incarcerated.

Le Parisien reports: 'According to our information, Jacques Moretti is no stranger to the French justice system.

Owner of bar where 40 died was jailed for fraud kidnapping and pimping

The owner of the Swiss ski bar at the centre of a New Year's Day inferno that claimed 40 lives and left 119 injured spent time in prison for 'fraud, kidnapping and false imprisonment' and was a known pimp, it emerged today.

www.dailymail.co.uk

How does someone like that even get a liquor license? I know, probably put his wife's name on all documents for permits and licenses. That is what they do here.

 

[MelmothTheLost]

How does someone like that even get a liquor license? I know, probably put his wife's name on all documents for permits and licenses. That is what they do here.

Apparently those convictions dated back 20 years so would have been considered "spent" in the UK and would not, on the face of it, prevented him from obtaining an alcohol licence here. Whether the local police would have grounds to appeal or object to an application due to the nature of the earlier offences is unclear. But yes, the paperwork may have been in his wife's name.

 

[Yellowbelly]

Apparently those convictions dated back 20 years so would have been considered "spent" in the UK and would not, on the face of it, prevented him from obtaining an alcohol licence here. Whether the local police would have grounds to appeal or object to an application due to the nature of the earlier offences is unclear. But yes, the paperwork may have been in his wife's name.

Also, in this country the police would cotton on to the fact that it was an underage drinking den and apply to the council/magistrates to get their alcohol licence revoked.

 

[detective.moon]

7:06 p.m.
Conclusion of initial investigations: no pre-trial detention for bar operators
Following the conclusion of initial investigations, the Valais cantonal police have announced that no coercive measures have been ordered against the two operators of the bar ‘Le Constellation’. The conditions for ordering pre-trial detention are not currently met. ‘There is currently no evidence to suggest that the accused could evade criminal proceedings or the expected punishment by fleeing. The other criteria, namely the risk of repetition or collusion, do not apply,’ the statement said. The presumption of innocence continues to apply.

Katastrophe in Crans-Montana - 35 Verletzte ins Ausland transportiert ++ 24 Tote identifiziert

Während einer Silvesterparty sind in Crans-Montana über 40 junge Menschen ums Leben gekommen.

www.srf.ch

 

[djanga]

Another two italian victims named as 15 y.o. Sofia Prosperi and 16 y.o. Riccardo Minghetti

Sofia Prosperi, morta a 15 anni nella strage di Crans-Montana: “Ora sei una stella, proteggici da lassù”

Strage in Svizzera, la studentessa della International School of Como di Fino Mornasco era in vacanza con tre compagni di scuola: due amici sono illesi, uno è ricoverato al Niguarda. I messaggi su TikTok: “Tutto questo non ha senso, dovevamo continuare a crescere insieme”

www.ilgiorno.it

Strage Crans-Montana, Roma in lutto per Riccardo Minghetti. Il sindaco Gualtieri: «Abbracciamo la famiglia»

Il 16enne dell'Eur-Laurentino è stato l'ultimo dei sei ragazzi italiani morti a essere stato identificato dalle autorità svizzere fra le vittime dell'incendio nella discoteca. I messaggi della scuola e dell'Ufficio scolastico regionale

roma.corriere.it

 

[detective.moon]

does anyone have an idea what the swiss legal system is like, compared to other european countries? or what would be a likely outcome for the bar owners if they are found guilty of negligent homicide?

 

[Herat]

This is the only plan of the basement that I've seen that shows the location of the smoking room. I can well understand why the people in the basement would have tried to get out the way that they'd come in, rather than running to the pokey hole at the back of the room.
View attachment 634981

Being a British person of a certain age, I'm old enough to remember news reports of the Stardust fire in Dublin in 1981. 48 people died, but the death toll would have been a lot less if the emergency exits hadn't been locked.

Stardust fire - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I cannot believe the local building inspectors allowed an emergency exit to be in a small room that was used as a smoking room. If reports are correct that the emergency door was locked, and likely did not have Emergency Exit lighting, it would be a deathtrap. It will be massive evidence of criminal neglect.

How they expected intoxicated people to find their way out of there when the ceiling is on fire, dripping molten chemicals and full of highly toxic smoke at the point of flashover is just complete neglect for health and safety.

 

[Dotta]

I only hope Justice will be served.
(Swift and hard)
And things will not be swept under the carpet.
The world is watching!

 

[Charlot123]

Imagine having an emergency exit
but locked and blocked
for such a grotesque reason

Honestly folks,
I throw up my hands over this kind of stupidity and lack of imagination.

You just couldn't make it up

This is illegal. In hindsight, it would have been cheaper to put an extra bouncer with a card-processing device there.

 

[Charlot123]

7:06 p.m.
Conclusion of initial investigations: no pre-trial detention for bar operators
Following the conclusion of initial investigations, the Valais cantonal police have announced that no coercive measures have been ordered against the two operators of the bar ‘Le Constellation’. The conditions for ordering pre-trial detention are not currently met. ‘There is currently no evidence to suggest that the accused could evade criminal proceedings or the expected punishment by fleeing. The other criteria, namely the risk of repetition or collusion, do not apply,’ the statement said. The presumption of innocence continues to apply.

Katastrophe in Crans-Montana - 35 Verletzte ins Ausland transportiert ++ 24 Tote identifiziert

Während einer Silvesterparty sind in Crans-Montana über 40 junge Menschen ums Leben gekommen.

www.srf.ch

I think it makes no sense for them to flee.

 

[Sarahlou]

does anyone have an idea what the swiss legal system is like, compared to other european countries? or what would be a likely outcome for the bar owners if they are found guilty of negligent homicide?

They appear to be lenient with sentencing.

Regarding negligent homicide:

Homicide through negligence occurs when a person's unintentional behaviour causes the death of another person due to a negligent act or due to the person having neglected to act that a reasonable person could have expected of him. It is a misdemeanour and punishable by a term of imprisonment not exceeding three years or a fine.

From Wikipedia.

 

[djanga]

Sixteen-year-old Kean Talingan, who was severely injured, was transferred today to Niguarda Hospital in Milan. Along with Kean, another victim was transferred: a 55-year-old Italian woman who resides in Switzerland.

The article states that there are plans to transfer another severely injured victim, 16-year-old Leonardo Bove, a friend of Kean, but he is currently not fit for transfer.

Two female classmates of the boys, Francesca and Sofia, were transferred earlier; they sustained burns over 50% and 40% of their bodies, respectively.

Crans-Montana, altri due pazienti al Niguarda: una 55enne e il 16enne Kean. Attesa per il compagno di classe Leonardo

Il giovane è uno studente del liceo Virgilio di Milano, a breve dovrebbe raggiungerlo un amico ancora ricoverato in Svizzera. Tutti sono rimasti coinvolti nell’incendio al locale ‘Le Constellation’, la notte di Capodanno

www.ilgiorno.it

 

[Charlot123]

does anyone have an idea what the swiss legal system is like, compared to other european countries? or what would be a likely outcome for the bar owners if they are found guilty of negligent homicide?

All I know about is the case of Uberlingen mid-air collision 2002 (it is in Wiki) when a horrible plane accident happened due to Swiss private ATC company, Skyguide, operating in highly irregulated and cost-cutting manner. (You want to check the terms that people at fault other than Peter Nielsen got as his story is sad.) 2002 Überlingen mid-air collision - Wikipedia

But, what I see is like everywhere else: face-saving, bureaucracy, minimizing the fault of local authorities.

However: since the owners were "local business", but many of the kids were "their", too, (either lived there, or had winter homes, or were "frequent visitors"), and everyone in the area witnessed it, I think it will be impossible to shove anything under the rug. So I hope that at least a good root-cause analysis will be done and maybe, the building codes will have to be improved.