A young employee working at a Swiss bar where a fatal fire erupted on New Year’s Eve had not received safety training and did not know that the venue’s ceiling posed a serious fire hazard, according to claims made by her family’s lawyer.
Cyane Panine, aged 24, was among those who died when a fire broke out at Le Constellation bar in the ski resort of Crans Montana. Footage from inside the venue circulated widely online and showed a staff member, identified as Panine, wearing a helmet and carrying a champagne bottle with a lit sparkler moments before the ceiling caught fire.
Swiss prosecutors have charged the bar’s French owners, Jacques and Jessica Moretti, with manslaughter by negligence, bodily injury by negligence and arson by negligence. The blaze, which occurred in south-west Switzerland, claimed the lives of 40 people and left 116 others injured.
Sophie Haenni, who represents Panine’s family, said the young woman was not scheduled to be serving customers on the night of the incident. Instead, she had been asked to go downstairs to assist with the unusually high demand for champagne bottles.
“Cyane carried out the instructions she was given and did her work under the supervision of the manager, Jessica Moretti,” Haenni said. “She was never told that the ceiling materials were dangerous, and she received no safety training.”
Haenni added that the tragedy could have been prevented if safety regulations—particularly those relating to building materials—had been properly followed and if mandatory inspections had taken place. “Cyane is unquestionably a victim,” she said.
According to a statement released by the family’s legal team, Panine had previously expressed distress about her working conditions and felt exploited by her employers. The statement also said she struggled to understand what she perceived as a lack of empathy from management regarding her workload.
“My clients have lost their daughter and their sister,” the statement read. “Someone deeply loved, a remarkable person, has been taken from them.”
The BBC has reached out to legal representatives for Jacques and Jessica Moretti but has not yet received a response.
Verified images from inside the venue show a crowded bar where staff and patrons were holding champagne bottles topped with lit sparklers. One of the images appears to show Panine carrying bottles with sparklers shortly before the fire spread.
On Wednesday, a Swiss court imposed a travel restriction on Jessica Moretti instead of ordering pre-trial detention, citing concerns from prosecutors that she may attempt to flee the country. Authorities said she was required to hand over her passport and report to police on a daily basis.
Jessica Moretti has previously expressed remorse over what she described as an “unthinkable tragedy”.
Jacques Moretti remains in custody for an initial period of 90 days. Prosecutors have also argued that he poses a risk of leaving the country.
Early findings from the investigation indicate that the fire began when sparklers ignited soundproof foam panels installed on the ceiling of the bar. Officials have confirmed that the venue had not undergone safety inspections for five years prior to the incident.
In response to the tragedy, authorities in the Swiss canton of Valais have banned the use of pyrotechnic devices in all indoor public spaces.
Officials also announced that each victim would receive an emergency payment of 10,000 Swiss francs ($12,500; £9,200). In addition, a public donation fund has been established to provide further financial support to those affected.
