The grieving families of the victims of the Swiss bar fire that killed 41 people on New Year’s Day aired their fury at the owners of the club as they appeared at court for another day of questioning.
As Jacques and Jessica Moretti arrived to testify in Sion, Switzerland, on Thursday, they were swarmed by a crowd of angry relatives who blame them for the deaths at the Le Constellation bar in the Crans-Montana ski resort on 1 January.
Ms Moretti, 40, tried to pass through the gathering to cries of “you killed my son” and “you are monsters”. One father yelled: “My son is dead. He was burnt.”
Fourteen-year-old Tobyas, wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with a photo of him and his 17-year-old brother Trystan Pidoux, who was killed in the fire, said: “I’m here to show Jessica Moretti that she destroyed families.”
A lawyer for the couple later described the confrontations as an “attack” on the Morettis, who had apparently sought to hear from the families before heading into a lengthy hearing in Valais.
“It was an attack,” said laywer Nicola Meier. ”There was a physical outburst; we didn’t expect the police to be absent.”
Ms Moretti broke down in tears in the courtroom on Thursday afternoon as she admitted that evacuation drills were “never conducted” and “nobody asked us to do them”.
Addressing the families of the victims, she said they had “committed ourselves to answering the families’ questions”.
“We understand your anger, your hatred. I reaffirm that we will be ready to answer every question; we will be there for you,” she said.
Mr Moretti was equally remorseful as he told the families: “We will take responsibility. We promise you, we are here for justice.”
Ms Moretti insisted that her priority on the night of the tragedy had been to raise the alarm and evacuate people from the building, which erupted into flames when sparklers ignited soundproof foaming on the ceiling, according to early investigation work.
Fabrizio Ventimiglia, an Italian lawyer representing victims’ families, said he wanted answers about not only safety protocols in the bar, but also whether alcohol had been sold to minors, and how many people were in the bar at the time.
The owners of the bar were accused by authorities in January of manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence and arson by negligence as details began to emerge.
A lawyer alleged that 24-year-old staff member Cyane Panine, who was identified carrying a champagne bottle with sparklers attached, had received no safety training and was unaware of the danger posed by the ceiling that caught alight.
