The Swiss municipality of Crans-Montana acknowledged, during a press conference held this Tuesday, that a failure in periodic safety and fire checks had occurred at the Le Constellation bar between 2020 and 2025, a period during which none of the mandatory checks were carried out. A terrible admission, five days after the tragic fire in this bar, during a New Year's Eve party, which caused the death of at least 40 people and injured 116, many of them seriously. Nicolas Féraud, president of the Crans-Montana municipal council, stated that the community "bitterly regretted" the discovery of this deficiency, while specifying that the exact reasons for this lack of checks were not yet totally clear.
During his speech, Nicolas Féraud confirmed that The last known inspection of the bar was in 2019., that is, before the uncontrolled period of 2020 to 2025, despite the requirement for regular inspections for all establishments open to the public. He added that, although the inspections had not been carried out, No official alerts had been received previously regarding security issues or non-compliance at the facility.which would have triggered interventions if that had been the case.
This lack of control is all the more incomprehensible given that in an edifying video Filmed on New Year's Eve 2019, a waiter can be seen telling customers to watch out for the foam, proof that the danger was known as early as 2019!
"The municipality will assume full responsibility."
Nicolas Féraud indicated that the municipality will assume full responsibility that the justice system will deem appropriate, while emphasizing that the magistrates will determine the precise impact of this failure on the chain of events that led to the disaster. Among the immediate measures, a specialized external firm has been commissioned to conduct comprehensive inspections of all public establishments in the municipality, and the use of pyrotechnic devices in all enclosed spaces has been prohibited throughout the entire municipal territory.
Furthermore, Nicolas Féraud announced the closure of the second establishment operated by the same couple who ran Le Constellation, although he could not specify whether this second location had also been recently inspected. The municipal authorities do not have the jurisdiction to decide on the closure of a third establishment belonging to this couple, located in the neighboring municipality of Lens, which falls under the jurisdiction of another municipality.
Manslaughter charges will be brought against the managers.
Authorities are continuing their investigation into the cause of the fire, believing the New Year's Eve celebration turned violent when a festive candle ignited flammable materials in the bar's basement ceiling. The establishment's management faces charges of manslaughter, involuntary injury, and endangering lives by fire, while an international death toll includes nationals from several European countries.
The tragedy sparked strong emotions in Switzerland and abroad, leading to demonstrations of solidarity, a national day of mourning and calls for improved safety standards in public establishments, while the victims' families continue to be supported and assisted by the relevant authorities.
