January 10, 2026 | 03:30 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Swiss prosecutors have requested the pretrial detention of one of the owners of a bar where a devastating New Year’s Eve fire killed 40 people and injured dozens more.
The chief prosecutor of the Valais region, Beatrice Pilloud, said in a statement reported by Al Jazeera on Friday that the detention of Jacques Moretti was necessary to prevent a “risk of flight.” Moretti is a co-owner of La Constellation bar in the ski resort town of Crans-Montana.
His wife and business partner, Jessica Moretti, will remain free but under judicial supervision, according to the statement.
Swiss authorities are investigating the owners of the bar on suspicion of multiple offenses, including negligent manslaughter. Under Swiss law, a suspect may be held for up to 48 hours while a court decides whether continued detention is justified.
The move came as Switzerland observed a national day of mourning on Friday for the victims of the fire. The country marked the occasion with a minute of silence, followed by church bells ringing nationwide.
An official memorial ceremony held in the town of Martigny was attended by around 1,000 people, including French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian President Sergio Mattarella, and Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever.
“Our country is devastated by this tragedy,” Swiss President Guy Parmelin said at the ceremony. “We honour the memory of those who were lost, and we stand beside those now facing a long journey of recovery.”
More than half of those killed in the fire were teenagers, and at least 116 people were injured. Several French and Italian citizens were among the victims. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has called for severe punishment for those found responsible.
Meanwhile, about 1,400 people gathered at the Crans-Montana congress center to watch a live broadcast of the Martigny ceremony. A memorial outside the bar was covered with a white, igloo-shaped tarp to protect it from heavy snowfall.
“Everything is different now,” said a French woman in her 30s who works seasonally in Crans-Montana and asked not to be named. “Before, this place was all smiles. Now, there are no more smiles here.”
Prosecutors believe the fire began when a firework attached to a champagne bottle was raised too close to soundproofing foam on the ceiling of the bar’s basement. Local authorities said the venue had not undergone a safety inspection since 2019, fueling public anger.
In a statement issued this week, the bar’s owners pledged to fully cooperate with investigators.
“We 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.”
Addressing the nation at Friday’s ceremony, President Parmelin said hope now depends on the justice system’s ability “to bring failures to light and to impose consequences without delay or leniency.”
“This is a moral responsibility as well as a duty of the state,” he said.
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