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

The Swiss bar that was the scene of a fire that killed 40 people and injured 116 others had not had safety checks in five years, authorities say.

Crans-Montana Mayor Nicolas Feraud told a press conference on Tuesday that he could not explain why the La Constellation bar had not been registered for so long, but that the municipality was “deeply sorry”.

“We regret it, we owe it to the families and we will accept responsibility,” he said.

He added that sparklers – believed to be the cause of the fire – will be banned from local venues. Local authorities will now call on an external service provider to inspect and audit the 128 sites in the area.

Feraud acknowledged that a team of five people inspected more than 10,000 buildings – and explained that in 2016, four village councils had merged to become one larger authority: Crans Montana.

Responding to repeated questions about why the bar hadn’t been registered for so long, Feraud replied: “I don’t have an answer for you today.”

“We are deeply sorry for this and I know how hard this will be for the families.”

“I’m not resigning, no, and I don’t want to,” he added later.

He said it would be “up to the judges whether we would be part of this case or not”, referring to the criminal investigation opened by Swiss prosecutors.