A bar in a Swiss ski resort that caught fire leading to the deaths of 40 people had not received a safety check for five years.
Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana had not had any safety checks, investigations or auditing for five years, despite local fire prevention regulations stipulating inspections must be made "every year in buildings open to the public".
Crans-Montana’s mayor, Nicolas Feraud, told a press conference the council "immediately" wanted to be transparent when they realised that the bar had not been checked for half a decade.
He confirmed officials have closed another venue run by managers of the La Constellation bar.
TRENDING
Stories
Videos
Your Say
Mr Feraud said: "We are profoundly sorry. We did not have an indication that the checks had not been done."
When asked by reporters about he fact that the bar had not been checked in five years, Mr Feraud said: "I have no answer for you today. We’re profoundly sorry about that and I know how hard that will be for the families."
He also confirmed he would not be resigning, adding: "We're not departing the ship right now."
Prosecutors said the fire that spread rapidly in the early hours of January 1 was likely caused by sparkling candles igniting the ceiling of the bar's basement.
Police identify first four bodies of people killed in Swiss ski resort fire on New Year's Eve | REUTERS
More than 40 people died following the New Year's Eve blaze | X
Vice Mayor Nicole Bonvin Clivaz and Nicolas Feraud held a press conference
|GETTY
All sparkler candles have now been banned inside venues, said the mayor at the press conference.
The youngest victims of the blaze, which also injured 116 people, were only 14 years old, and the dead were from all around Europe, including several from France and Italy.
Aika Chappaz, a local resident who took part in a silent procession through the town , said justice must be done for the sake of future generations.
She told reporters: "It's crucial that such a tragedy never happens again. And the investigation must be thorough, because it's so unbelievable."
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS FROM SWITZERLAND
People visit a makeshift memorial outside the "Le Constellation" bar
|REUTERS
The public prosecutor of Paris, Laure Beccuau, said she would open a parallel investigation into the case to facilitate communication with Swiss authorities, as is customary when French citizens are involved abroad.
Swiss prosecutors have placed the two bar managers under criminal investigation.
The managers are a French couple who have been named in Swiss media as Jacques and Jessica Moretti.
They are suspected of manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence and arson by negligence.
Officials and relatives held a military salute for the coffins at Milan's Linate Airport
|REUTERS
The Italian Government confirmed it had repatriated five of the six Italians who died in the fire.
A military plane took to Milan the bodies of Achille Barosi and Chiara Costanzo from Milan, Giovanni Tamburi from Bologna and Emanuele Galeppini from Genoa.
Military personnel saluted their coffins as they were carried from the plane.
The body of Riccardo Minghetti was due to fly on to Rome. The sixth Italian victim, Sofia Prosperi, lived in Switzerland and would be buried there, the Italian government said.
More From GB News