Swiss prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into the managers of a bar in the alpine resort of Crans-Montana after a New Year’s Eve fire killed 40 people and injured 119 others.
The blaze at the Le Constellation bar is among the deadliest incidents in Switzerland in recent decades and has prompted a broad inquiry into safety practices, renovations, and crowd conditions at the venue.
Two days after the fire, authorities were still working to identify many of the victims, as the scale of the tragedy became clearer and families awaited confirmation about missing relatives.
Prosecutors in the canton of Valais said the two people who operated the bar are suspected of homicide by negligence, causing bodily harm by negligence, and arson by negligence.
Officials said the investigation will examine recent renovations to the basement bar, fire suppression systems, escape routes, and the number of people inside when the fire began.
Witnesses reported that staff were carrying champagne bottles topped with fountain-style sparklers during the celebration.
Prosecutors said preliminary findings indicate the sparklers were brought too close to the ceiling, igniting material used for soundproofing.
“From there, a rapid, very rapid and widespread blaze ensued,” Valais chief prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud said.
Authorities are also assessing whether the bar had undergone required inspections and whether any safety concerns had previously been raised by local officials.
The severity of the burns suffered by many victims has slowed the identification process, which investigators said could take several days.
Police have confirmed the identification of four Swiss victims aged between 16 and 21, whose bodies have been returned to their families.
Officials have said many of the dead were likely teenagers, noting that the bar was popular with young people and that beer and wine are legally available from age 16 in Switzerland.
Among the victims was a teenage Italian golfer, the first fatality to be publicly identified.
As the investigation continues, residents of the resort town have gathered near the cordoned-off bar to leave flowers, messages, and other tributes.
Authorities said the findings of the criminal inquiry will determine whether charges are brought against the bar’s managers.