Nicolas Féraud says he does not know why bar in Crans-Montana had not been inspected annually, as required by law
Authorities in Crans-Montana have said the bar that caught fire in the Swiss ski resort on New Year’s Eve, killing 40 mainly young partygoers and injuring more than 100, had not been inspected by safety officers for the past five years.
“Periodic inspections were not conducted between 2020 and 2025. We bitterly regret this,” the mayor of the town, Nicolas Féraud, told a press conference in the town on Tuesday, five days after the disaster at Le Constellation bar.
Féraud said the council was not responsible for determining who was responsible for the blaze. “That will be the job of the investigators,” he said. But the municipality wanted to show “full transparency”. “We owe it to the victims and their families,” he added.
Authorities believe the fire in the crowded bar started in its basement party room after sparklers attached to champagne bottles were held too close to the ceiling, which images on social media suggest was clad with soundproofing foam.
