The Swiss bar that was the scene of a fire which killed 40 people and injured 116 had not undergone safety checks for five years, authorities have said.
The mayor of Crans-Montana, Nicolas Feraud, told a Tuesday news conference that he could not explain why Le Constellation bar had not been checked in so long, but that the council was profoundly sorry. The venues should have been checked annually.
We regret that - we owe it to the families and we will accept the responsibility, he said.
He added that sparklers - which are believed to have caused the fire when they were raised too close to the ceiling - will be banned in local venues.
Local authorities will now bring in an external contractor to inspect and audit all 128 venues in the area.
Feraud conceded there was a team of five people inspecting more than 10,000 buildings in Crans-Montana and could not explain why the bar had not been inspected since 2019.
Taking repeated questions on why the bar had not been checked in so long, Feraud said: I have no answer for you today.
We're profoundly sorry about that and I know how hard that will be for the families.
He added, I'm not resigning, no, and I don't want to.
Feraud said it would be down to the judges to decide whether members of the local authority would be included in a criminal investigation that has been opened by Swiss prosecutors.
When the fire occurred on New Year's Day, the bar seemed to have many more people in it than legally permitted, which Feraud said was the responsibility of the managers of Le Constellation to regulate.
Feraud said the maximum capacity was 200 people, with emergency exits designed to cater for 100 people on each side of its two levels. However, he did not know if the exit on the basement level was working.
Swiss prosecutors have placed the two bar managers under criminal investigation, suspected of manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence, and arson by negligence.
Investigators believe the fire started when celebrators raised champagne bottles with sparklers, igniting sound-insulating foam on the ceiling.
Feraud condemned the decision to use sound-proofing material and sparklers in the venue as extremely negligent.
Accounts include that people pushed and shoved, notably on the staircase leading to the basement. Under Swiss regulations, doors are required to open in the direction of the exit and be clearly signposted.
The failure to adhere to fire safety regulations by not inspecting Le Constellation from 2020 to 2025 raises questions about the adequacy of safety oversight in the region.
