A BARTENDER has claimed that the emergency doors were “always locked” at the Swiss resort bar that broke out into a terrifying blaze on New Year’s Eve.
It comes as authorities have identified 16 more victims – many of them teenagers – of the deadly inferno that killed over 40 people as efforts continue to relocate bodies to desperate families.
Andrea, 31, who works elsewhere in Crans-Montana, told Bild that he was a regular at Le Constellation, the bar where 119 others were also injured and claims the emergency exit was always locked when he visited.
The couple who run the bar – Jacques, 49, and Jessica Moretti, 40 – are now facing manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence and arson by negligence charges.
Cops are probing whether adequate safety measures were in place before the tragedy occurred – including whether the staircase was too narrow.
An ex-firefighter also claims the bar used “essentially the same” insulation foam as Grenfell.
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What we know so far…
Jacques, in a previous interview, maintained the couple’s innocence, saying “everything was done according to the standards,” and that the venue had been inspected multiple times since they had taken it over.
The club owner was snapped for the first time since the deadly fire as he left his home in nearby Lens by car, but refused to answer questions when approached by The Sun.
He drove off as Swiss justice minister Beat Jans said: “The world needs answers.”
The newly-identified victims include 10 Swiss people, two Italians, one person with Italian-Emirati citizenship, one Romanian, one person from France and one from Turkey, Valais police said.
A total of 24 have now been identified, but most have not yet been named.
Stéphane Ganzer, The Valais State Councillor in charge of Security, said: “Someone made a mistake, I am sure of it.”
Speaking on Swiss radio, he said: “A fire this serious in Switzerland, where we have professional standards and controls, means that something went wrong.
There was an emergency exit, there were controls in place.
“For me, the problem isn’t just the candles, but the ceiling.”
One eyewitness said: “There was no second way to get out and that was a big problem.
“But what I remember the most is all these people laying on the streets.
“Young girls who were dressed for a night out because it was New Year.
“They were totally red in their face, they had no fingers anymore, they were screaming in pain.
“They tried to get them in ambulances to get to the hospital, to get to the helicopters.
“That screaming was incredible, awful.
“And that was something that you never want to see in your life.
“You see it on films, but when you see it in reality, it’s really a disaster, it’s awful to see.”
