One of the co-owners of a Swiss bar where 40 people died in a fire on New Year's Eve has been taken into custody, local media report.
Sources told Swiss newspaper 24 Heures that Jacques Moretti, 49, is considered a potential flight risk.
Prosecutors are investigating the French owners of the bar on suspicion of crimes including homicide by negligence, while victims’ families have filed legal complaints over the fire at the Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana in the Canton of Valais.
The blaze broke out in the early hours of New Year’s Day, with footage showing crowds escaping the bar engulfed in flames.
Prosecutors have said the fire was likely caused by sparkling candles, which ignited the ceiling of the bar’s basement. Authorities are also looking into whether soundproofing material on the ceiling conformed with regulations and whether the candles were permitted for use in the bar.
Earlier, Mr Moretti and his French wife, Jessica, did not respond to reporters’ questions as they entered the prosecutors’ office in the town of Sion for a hearing. Swiss authorities have designated Friday a national day of mourning.
Several French and Italian citizens were among the dead, and Italy’s prime minister Giorgia Meloni called for stern punishment to be meted out to those responsible for the blaze.
“What happened is not a disaster: It’s the result of too many people who didn’t do their job or who thought they were making easy money,” Ms Meloni said during a press conference on Friday. “Those responsible must be identified and prosecuted.”
The Rome prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into the blaze, alleging manslaughter and arson, Italian media reported on Thursday.
On Tuesday, the mayor of Crans-Montana ski resort revealed that the bar had not undergone annual safety inspections since 2019.
"We are deeply sorry. We had no indication that the checks had not been done as requested," Crans-Montana Mayor Nicolas Feraud told reporters, adding that bars in the town are meant to have such inspections each year.
A video from New Year’s Eve 2019-2020 shared by Swiss broadcaster RTS showed revellers carrying similar sparklers in bottles as a waiter warns: “Watch out for the foam!”
