Pressure was building for answers yesterday from the investigation into a New Year bar fire in a Swiss ski resort that killed 40 people, after authorities said they had now identified all the victims, most of whom were teenagers.
The Alpine getaway of Crans-Montana in the canton of Valais united in mourning on Sunday with condolences coming in from leaders ranging from Pope Leo to Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Prosecutors said the fire that spread rapidly in the early hours of Thursday was likely caused by sparkling candles igniting the ceiling of the bar’s basement.
Authorities are investigating the two people who ran the bar on suspicion of crimes including homicide by negligence.
On Sunday, police said circumstances did not currently merit them being put under arrest and they did not see a flight risk.
Yesterday, Swiss newspaper Blick said anger over the case was growing.
“Why are the couple running the bar free” the paper said on its front page, pasted over a photo of mourners and media gathered around the huge pile of flowers left in front of the Le Constellation bar.
The youngest victims of the blaze, which also injured 116 people, were only 14 years old, and the dead were from all around Europe, including several from France and Italy.
Swiss police, who have not named the victims, said yesterday they had now identified all the injured as well.
Separately, the public prosecutor of Paris, Laure Beccuau, said she would open a parallel investigation into the case to facilitate communication with Swiss authorities.
Such inquiries are customary when French citizens are involved abroad.
Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini said in a social media post that “in civilised Switzerland, the prison gates will have to open for quite a few people”.
Salvini said there had been a failure to ensure the bar’s basement was safe, questioning the emergency systems and whether there had been enough inspections.
Crans-Montana will on Friday hold a ceremony honouring the victims. The French government said that President Emmanuel Macron would attend.
Italy yesterday repatriated five of the six Italians who died in the fire, the Italian government said.
A military plane took to Milan the bodies of Achille Barosi and Chiara Costanzo from Milan, Giovanni Tamburi from Bologna and Emanuele Galeppini from Genoa. Military personnel saluted their coffins as they were carried from the plane.
The body of Riccardo Minghetti was due to fly on to Rome. The sixth Italian victim, Sofia Prosperi, lived in Switzerland and would be buried there, the Italian government said.
Aika Chappaz, a local resident who took part in a silent procession through the town on Sunday, said justice must be done for the sake of future generations.
“It’s crucial that such a tragedy never happens again. And the investigation must be thorough, because it’s so unbelievable,” she said.
Tages-Anzeiger, another leading Swiss newspaper, said questions must be answered about the age checks at the bar, the soundproofing material used in the basement and the standards governing use of the so-called fountain candles.
&uuid=(email))