Italian PM Meloni vows justice for Swiss ski resort fire victims, criticising negligence and lax safety checks as Switzerland holds a day of mourning.
ROME: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has vowed justice for the victims of a deadly New Year’s fire at a Swiss ski resort bar. She blamed the tragedy on negligence and a pursuit of “easy money”.
Switzerland held a national day of mourning for the 40 victims, most of them teenagers, from the fire in Crans-Montana. Meloni attended a special mass in Rome for the six Italian victims.
“What happened in Crans-Montana is the result of too many people not doing their job or thinking they could make easy money,” Meloni told journalists at her annual New Year’s press conference. “And those responsible must be identified and prosecuted.”
Outside the church, Massimo Minghetti, father of 16-year-old victim Riccardo, said “justice would be a sign of the respect that our children were not given”. He stressed that a public venue’s primary duty is to protect lives.
Meloni questioned why the party continued after flames broke out in the basement bar. She highlighted a lack of fire safety inspections at the venue for five years, as admitted by local officials.
“Why wasn’t it stopped? Why weren’t these kids told to leave? Why didn’t the municipality carry out checks?” she asked.
Meloni confirmed Rome’s public prosecutor had opened a case file. She gave her word to the families that they would not be left alone in their pursuit of justice.
While stating Italian regulations are “stricter”, she raised the possibility of Italy banning sparklers in enclosed spaces. Prosecutors believe the blaze started when champagne bottles with sparklers ignited ceiling foam.
The French co-owner of the bar, Jacques Moretti, was held in police custody following questioning by prosecutors.
