The Moretti’s were flanked by a single police officer and their lawyer during the confrontation, which came as they arrived for their fourth day of questioning in Sion, Switzerland
The owners of the bar where 41 people died and 115 were injured in the Swiss New Year fire disaster were today confronted by furious parents of the victims outside a hearing.
Dozens of grieving relatives rushed around Jacques and Jessica Moretti as they cowered behind their lawyer while arriving at the prosecutor’s office in Sion, near Crans-Montana where the tragedy happened, on Thursday morning. One sobbing parent was heard yelling at the couple: “You killed my son, you killed 40 people, you will pay for this.”
The brother of one victim, a 17-year-old named Trystan, also allegedly attempted to kick Mrs Moretti after repeatedly asking her to look him in the eye. She appeared frightened and close to tears as she waded through the crowd.
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Trystan’s mother, Vinciane Stucky, who was also present, said: “We will neither forgive nor forget.” The boy’s father Christian Podoux said: “I’m here for Trystan. I want Jessica Moretti to know how hard she has hit fathers, mothers, brothers, and sisters. She distanced herself, left the Constellation. Others, the young people, helped so much, and she just left. That’s not right.”
Trystan’s younger siblings, Tobyas, 14, and Yaelle, 15, were also present alongside their parents as they joined the raging crowd upon the Moretti’s arrival. They said: “We want Jessica Moretti to apologise. I’m Trystan’s little brother, and I came here to show Jessica Moretti that she has destroyed families, to look us in the eye.” Tobyas added: “What happened isn’t normal. We want justice. Moretti is undoubtedly guilty, as are the municipality of Crans-Montana and the canton of Valais.”
The Moretti’s were flanked by a single police officer and their lawyer during the confrontation, which came as they arrived for their fourth day of questioning. A reporter at the scene told 20 Minuten: “It was a real mob. The Morettis… had hardly any protection when the relatives’ anger erupted. Everyone rushed at the innkeepers, who were pushed against the building’s wall and couldn’t get away.”
The French couple are under criminal investigation, facing charges of manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence, and arson by negligence following the fire at their bar Le Constellation in the ski resort of Crans-Montana shortly after midnight on New Year’s Day. They face up to 20 years in prison if charged and found guilty of manslaughter.
Speaking about the ongoing hearings, Leila Micheloud, the mother of two daughters injured in the fire, said: “It’s a path to healing. We’re waiting for answers, the truth, for them to tell the truth; we’re not asking for anything more,’ she told journalists. “We’re in a battle. I have to be here. When you have two of your children who almost died, you’re not afraid of anything.”
Mrs Moretti reportedly told investigators she was inside the bar when the fire broke out at around 1.30am – 90 minutes after patrons had welcomed the New Year. Mr Moretti, who has described the fire as “the tragedy of my life”, was at another of their businesses nearby.
Prosecutors believe the blaze started in the bar’s basement when champagne bottles with party sparklers attached were raised too close to sound insulation foam on the ceiling. Experts have suggested that what appeared to be highly-flammable foam may have caused a “flashover”, caused when materials ignite simultaneously and the entire room erupts at once.
Mrs Moretti reportedly recalled to prosecutors: “Suddenly I felt a movement in the crowd. I saw an orange light in the corner of the bar. I immediately shouted, ‘Everyone out!’ and alerted the fire department.” Jacques Moretti, who was at another of their businesses, named Senso, at the time, received a panicked call from his wife at around 1.28 a.m. Mrs Moretti said: “I told him, ‘Constel is on fire, come immediately!’ The call lasted eleven seconds.”
Mr Moretti said when he arrived, the bar was already filled with smoke, the entrance was impassable, and the back door was locked from the inside. Together with two other people, he said he forced the door open. The group then went around to the service door, which Mr Moretti said he found “closed and locked from the inside with a latch,” whereas it usually wasn’t, according to him. This exit was different from the emergency exit located in the basement.
Mr Moretti is alleged to have told prosecutors: “When the door gave way, several people were lying unconscious on the floor. My daughter-in-law was among them. We pulled them outside and put them in the recovery position,” before performing CPR. A total of 19 nationalities were among the fatalities.
The Morettis’ lawyer, Yael Hayat, said the hearings would be the first time the couple would be able to speak directly to the lawyers representing the victims and families. She said: “They are empathetic, but at the same time, they are isolated. It is also very difficult for them not to be able to express themselves directly, since the legal proceedings require that there be no contact.”
