Beatrice Pilloud

Force in Play

Facing criticism for delegating investigation to four prosecutors rather than personally leading case

A fire ripped through Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana at 1:30am on New Year's Day as over 100 revelers celebrated. Multiple witnesses told French media BFMTV that waitresses carried champagne bottles with sparklers on a barman's shoulders—the flames came within centimeters of the acoustic foam ceiling, igniting an inferno that engulfed the entire nightclub within 10 seconds. At least 40 people died and 116 were hospitalized with severe burns. All 40 victims have been identified: 21 Swiss nationals (aged 14-31), 6 Italians (including one Italian-Emirati dual citizen), 9 French citizens, 1 Romanian, and 1 Turkish citizen. Among the dead was a 15-year-old girl with French, British, and Israeli nationalities. A locked service door in the basement—which owner Jacques Moretti admitted to investigators—may have trapped victims trying to escape.

Updated Jan 18