Swiss ski bar not inspected for five years before deadly fire, mayor says

BBC News - WorldCenterEN 2 min read 100% complete January 6, 2026 at 01:24 PM

AI Summary

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A fire at the Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Switzerland on New Year's Day killed 40 people and injured 116. Mayor Nicolas Feraud announced that the bar had not undergone mandatory annual safety inspections for five years, a lapse he attributed to a team of five inspectors overseeing 10,000 buildings. Sparklers, believed to have ignited the fire, are now banned in local venues. An external contractor will audit all 128 venues in the area. Swiss prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into the bar managers, Jacques and Jessica Moretti, for suspected manslaughter, bodily harm, and arson by negligence. The investigation will also determine if local authorities will be included.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Reuters 30% Valais 50% Swiss prosecutors ×260% Jacques Moretti 60% Jessica Moretti 60% Switzerland 70% New Year's Day fire 75% Crans-Montana ×280% Le Constellation ×485% Nicolas Feraud ×890%

Keywords

ski bar fire 100% safety checks 80% negligence 70% sparklers 70% crans-montana 60% criminal investigation 60% building inspections 50% bar managers 50% manslaughter 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Very Negative

Score: -0.70

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Source

BBC News - World

Political Lean

Center (0.00)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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ski bar fire safety checks negligence sparklers crans-montana criminal investigation building inspections bar managers manslaughter

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