{"id":8096,"date":"2026-01-09T18:37:53","date_gmt":"2026-01-09T18:37:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=8096"},"modified":"2026-01-09T18:37:53","modified_gmt":"2026-01-09T18:37:53","slug":"swiss-authorities-detain-owner-of-bar-where-new-years-fire-killed-40-police-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=8096","title":{"rendered":"Swiss authorities detain owner of bar where New Year\u2019s fire killed 40 | Police News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p class=\"article__subhead\"><em>Switzerland holds national day of mourning to remember victims of deadly fire in ski resort town of Crans-Montana.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-dates\">\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Published On 9 Jan 2026<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"true\">9 Jan 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-share\" data-testid=\"rich-share\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__button-wrapper\"><button class=\"rich-share__button row\" aria-expanded=\"false\"><\/p>\n<p>Click here to share on social media<\/p>\n<p><svg class=\"icon icon--share2 icon--primary icon--16 \" viewbox=\"0 0 20 16\" version=\"1.1\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><title>share2<\/title><path fill=\"#000\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M11.688 9.048c-.659 0-1.252.282-1.673.733l-4.92-2.45c.016-.115.028-.232.028-.352 0-.117-.011-.23-.027-.343l4.913-2.423a2.285 2.285 0 0 0 1.68.739C12.964 4.952 14 3.899 14 2.6 14 1.302 12.965.25 11.688.25S9.377 1.302 9.377 2.601c0 .117.01.23.027.343L4.49 5.367a2.285 2.285 0 0 0-1.68-.739C1.536 4.628.5 5.681.5 6.979c0 1.299 1.035 2.35 2.312 2.35.659 0 1.252-.281 1.673-.731l4.92 2.45a2.357 2.357 0 0 0-.029.351c0 1.299 1.035 2.351 2.312 2.351S14 12.698 14 11.399s-1.035-2.35-2.312-2.35Z\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"rich-share__social-text\">Share<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>Swiss prosecutors have requested that one of the owners of a bar where a massive New Year\u2019s Eve fire killed 40 people and injured dozens be placed in pre-trial detention.<\/p>\n<p>The Valais region\u2019s chief prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud said in a statement on Friday that the detention of the man, Jacques Moretti, was needed to avoid a \u201crisk of flight\u201d.<\/p>\n<section class=\"more-on\">\n<h2 class=\"more-on__heading\">Recommended Stories<!-- --> <\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">list of 3 items<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>Moretti\u2019s wife and co-manager, Jessica Moretti, will remain free under judicial supervision, the statement said.<\/p>\n<p>Authorities have been investigating the owners of La Constellation bar in the ski resort town of Crans-Montana on suspicion of crimes, including homicide by negligence.<\/p>\n<p>Under Swiss law, a person is held in custody until a court rules within 48 hours on whether their detention is warranted.<\/p>\n<p>Moretti\u2019s detention comes as Switzerland held a national day of mourning on Friday for the victims of the blaze, pausing for a minute of silence before church bells rang out across the country.<\/p>\n<p>An official ceremony to commemorate the victims, held in the town of Martigny, was attended by about 1,000 people, including French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Belgium\u2019s Prime Minister Bart De Wever.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4227121\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4227121\" style=\"width:770px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-arc-image-770 wp-image-4227121\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/ap_69613215ebe37-1767977494.jpg?w=770&amp;resize=770%2C513&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"France's President Emmanuel Macron, left, and Italy's President Sergio Mattarella walk with white roses after the tribute ceremony for the victims of the deadly fire that ripped through the bar Le Constellation in Crans-Montana on New Year's Eve, in Martigny, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (Fabrice Coffrini\/Pool Photo via AP)\" fetchpriority=\"low\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4227121\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Macron, left, and Mattarella walk with white roses during the ceremony in Martigny, Switzerland, on January 9, 2026 [Fabrice Coffrini\/Pool via AP Photo]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cOur country is devastated by this tragedy,\u201d Swiss President Guy Parmelin said at the ceremony.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe honour the memory of those who were lost, and we stand beside those now facing a long journey of recovery,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>More than half of those who were killed in the fire in the early hours of New Year\u2019s Day were teenagers, while another 116 people were injured.<\/p>\n<p>Several French and Italian citizens were among the dead, and Italy\u2019s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has called for stern punishment to be meted out to those responsible for the blaze.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"everything-is-different\">\u2018Everything is different\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>Meanwhile, about 1,400 people gathered at the Crans-Montana congress centre to attend a livestreaming of the official Martigny event.<\/p>\n<p>A memorial erected outside the bar has been covered in a white, igloo-like tarpaulin to protect it from heavy snowfall.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEverything is different now,\u201d a French woman in her 30s who works seasonally in Crans-Montana and who did not want to give her name told the AFP news agency on Friday.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBefore, this place was all smiles. Now, there are no more smiles here,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Swiss prosecutors have said they believe the deadly fire started when sparklers attached to champagne bottles were raised too close to sound insulation foam on the ceiling in the bar\u2019s basement section.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4227123\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4227123\" style=\"width:770px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-arc-image-770 wp-image-4227123\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/reuters_6961321c-1767977500.jpg?w=770&amp;resize=770%2C514&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"A member of the civil protection service holds a white rose at the end of the official commemorative ceremony and the national day of mourning following the deadly fire at the &quot;Le Constellation&quot; bar in Crans-Montana at the Martigny Expo (CERM) Exhibition and Convention Centre, in Martigny, Switzerland, January 9, 2026. MICHAEL BUHOLZER\/Pool via REUTERS\" fetchpriority=\"low\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4227123\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A member of the civil protection service holds a white rose during the official ceremony in Martigny on January 9, 2026 [Michael Buholzer\/Pool via Reuters]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Local authorities said on Tuesday that the bar had not undergone a safety inspection since 2019, drawing outrage.<\/p>\n<p>In a statement this week, the bar owners pledged their \u201cfull cooperation\u201d with investigators.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are devastated and overcome with grief, our thoughts are constantly with the victims, their loved ones who have been bereaved so brutally and prematurely, and all those who are fighting for their lives,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n<p>In his speech at the ceremony on Friday, Parmelin, the Swiss president, said hope \u201cdepends on our justice system\u2019s ability to bring failures to light and to impose consequences without delay or leniency\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is a moral responsibility as well as a duty of the state,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Switzerland holds national day of mourning to remember victims of deadly fire in ski resort town of Crans-Montana. Published On 9 Jan 20269 Jan 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Swiss prosecutors have requested that one of the owners of a bar where a massive New Year\u2019s Eve fire killed 40 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8097,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8096","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-europe-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8096","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8096"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8096\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8097"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8096"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8096"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8096"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}