Video raises questions

Crans-Montana: Manager fled with cash register from bar

Jessica Moretti (small in the picture) ran the bar with her husband Jaques.(Bild: AP/APA/LinkedIn/Krone KREATIV)

Following the inferno in the exclusive Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana on New Year's Eve, which left 40 people dead and hundreds injured, investigations into the tragedy at the "Le Constellation" nightclub are continuing. A video – which is said to be available only to investigators so far – is causing outrage.

According to several media outlets, the footage shows the club's co-owner, Jessica Moretti, fleeing with the evening's takings while the bar burns and dozens of people meet their deaths. She is said to have been carrying the cash register under her burnt arm. The footage is available to investigators but is not publicly accessible.

"You don't abandon ship when the sea is raging."
For many relatives, it would be a shocking image; for the justice system, a possible turning point. While the smell of smoke still lingers in the air of the burned-out "Le Constellation," emotions are running high. "You don't abandon ship when the sea is raging," Mayor Nicolas Féraud repeats.

Jessica Moretti (small in the picture) ran the bar with her husband Jaques.(Bild: AP/APA/LinkedIn/Krone KREATIV)

Pressure on mayor mounts
But with every hour that passes, the pressure on him to resign grows. He had admitted that no inspections had been carried out at the bar on Rue Centrale since 2020. Otherwise, it would probably have been noticed that it was no longer just a bar, but a kind of discotheque that admitted significantly more than just 240 people.

Between 2020 and 2025, Le Constellation was not inspected by a municipal fire safety expert. Why this was the case is unclear.(Bild: AFP/MAXIME SCHMID)

Jessica Moretti and the second club operator, Jacques Moretti, are under investigation for negligent bodily injury and arson, among other things. However, according to their own statements, the authorities do not yet have sufficient evidence to take them into custody.

Spark-spraying "party fountain" as the trigger
The devastating fire on New Year's Eve, which left 40 people dead and 116 injured, was probably caused by the use of "sparklers," which set the bar's foam ceiling on fire. The fire spread rapidly.

The material of which this foam ceiling was made is the subject of ongoing investigations. No defects were found during inspections between 2017 and 2019. The bar operator had renovated the premises himself about ten years ago. No permit is required for changes to the interior.

Apart from Swiss nationals, most of the victims came from France and Italy. The victims of the tragedy and their families will receive financial support.

Thanks to the rescue services
Valais State Councilor Mathias Reynard thanked the rescue workers for their great commitment after the fire disaster: "Without their efforts, the fire would have claimed even more lives."