Some things don't add up These three statements by the Crans-Montana municipal council are particularly contradictory

Following the fire in the "Le Constellation" bar, the Crans-Montana municipal council spoke at a press conference today - and has since come under even more criticism than before. Three statements that raised questions instead of clarifying matters.

On Tuesday morning, those responsible in the municipality of Crans-Montana commented for the first time on the devastating fire in the "Le Constellation" bar. Following his statement, the mayor Nicolas Féraud answered questions from the journalists present. These four points contradict each other:

It is probably the most quoted statement from today's press conference: "We are the most damaged, before anyone else," said municipal president Nicolas Féraud. A remarkable quote when you consider that the municipal council had issued the invitation because 40 young people died in Crans-Montana and over 110 were injured, some of them seriously. The statement caused irritation throughout the country. The actions of the municipality back up the words of the mayor: it wants to act as a civil plaintiff against the bar operator couple. "We see ourselves as victims of this drama, we have been badly damaged," said Féraud. They also want to gain access to the investigation files. Another statement that raises questions, but is not clarified.

For the first time, the municipal council confirms that no checks have been carried out in the bar since 2019, even though the law stipulates an annual inspection. Since day one, the public has been asking who was responsible for the security checks in Crans-Montana. The answer is clear: in Valais, this responsibility lies with the municipalities.

At the press conference, the mayor of Crans-Montana explained that the municipality's public safety department was responsible for this. However, he immediately distanced himself from his own employee: "The security officer should have carried out the checks." He does not know why this did not happen and is part of the investigation. The question arises as to what extent superiors share responsibility for the failings of their own employees.

When asked about resigning, he says that you don't leave a ship when it's sinking. When a journalist asks him whether he would like to apologize to the victims and their families on behalf of the municipality, he explicitly declines to do so.

The municipal council of Crans-Montana had invited people to the press conference to present "facts in connection with the tragic events". However, these facts were carefully selected. It was informed that the municipality had commissioned an external company from Valais to check all businesses in the municipality for fire safety regulations. When asked for the name of the company, he does not want to give it - he does not give a reason for this.

During the press conference, the mayor also admitted that he had spoken to the safety officer who should have carried out the checks. Despite the discussions, he was unable to say why the bar had not been inspected for five years.