Overview
- The New Year’s Eve blaze at Le Constellation killed 40 people and sent more than 100 to hospitals, according to official tallies cited in the investigation.
- New witness accounts describe a chaotic evacuation with everyone funneled to one door, no visible fire extinguisher, and staff actions that failed to contain flames.
- Testimony and case files indicate an emergency door was locked or obstructed, with six victims found behind it, while 34 of the dead were trapped in a staircase bottleneck narrowed in prior renovations.
- Detained co-owner Jacques Moretti told prosecutors the club’s renovation and safety documents are missing and acknowledged personally replacing ceiling panels, as his wife Jessica remains under investigation but free with reporting and travel restrictions.
- Authorities in Valais approved 10,000 Swiss francs in emergency aid per victim and plan a donor fund, while Italian prosecutors issued a rogatory request and families coordinated with officials in Rome.