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Crans-Montana Fire: Court Keeps Bar Owner in Pre‑Trial Detention as Victims’ Lawyer Targets Municipality

The probe is expanding to possible state liability following admissions that mandatory safety inspections lapsed for years.

Overview

  • Jacques Moretti was ordered to remain in custody for an initial three months, with possible release on financial guarantees, while his co-operator wife is not detained and he retains the presumption of innocence.
  • Investigators say spark-spraying party fountains likely ignited foam on the ceiling, a narrowed staircase to about 1.37 meters and an unlit or locked exit created a fatal bottleneck, and reports indicate 34 bodies were found at the foot of the stairs.
  • A lawyer representing more than 20 families, Romain Jordan, is preparing state-liability suits against the municipality and is signaling demands totaling several hundred million Swiss francs.
  • Official figures stand at 40 dead and 116 injured, with around 80 people still hospitalized, many of them minors from several countries.
  • Local authorities acknowledge the venue had not undergone required fire-safety checks since 2019, and separate reporting highlights ongoing scrutiny of the operators’ rapid wealth accumulation since 2020.