The managers of a bar where a fire killed 40 people and injured another 119 have been placed under criminal investigation, Swiss prosecutors have said.
The French couple – named by the media as Jacques and Jessica Moretti – are suspected of manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence and arson by negligence, the prosecutors’ office in Valais said.
Eight Swiss nationals from among those killed were the first to be identified on Saturday.
The likely cause of the fire at Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana was sparklers on bottles being carried too close to the ceiling, a preliminary investigation found.
In a statement, Beatrice Pilloud, the lead prosecutor in the canton of Valais, said investigators were looking into whether the venue’s acoustic foam was “the cause of the problem”, as well as “whether it complies with regulations”.
Among the dead and missing are many teenagers. Le Constellation was a venue known to be popular with a younger crowd in the ski resort town, where the drinking age is 16.
A teenage golfer from Italy was the first death to be named, though Swiss and Italian officials have so far declined to confirm his death.
Swiss authorities have not released the names of the eight people whose identification was completed on Saturday – all aged 16-24.
Bunches of flowers, soft toys and messages of love and hope are piled up outside the police barriers outside the bar.
On Saturday, families were being directed to a conference centre just outside Crans.
Members of the Italian Civil Protection team met people there, together with Italy’s Ambassador to Switzerland, Gian Lorenzo Cornado.
Ambassador Cornado said the identification process should be completed by Sunday afternoon.
The slow process is because of the severity of the burns many of the victims suffered, the ambassador added.
A helpline has been set up for concerned families: +41 848 112 117
