The glittering lights of Crans-Montana, Switzerland’s premier ski resort perched high in the Valais Alps, have always promised glamour, champagne, and carefree New Year’s Eve celebrations. But on December 31, 2025, as the clock struck midnight and revellers toasted 2026 in the basement of Le Constellation bar, joy turned to unimaginable horror. Flames erupted suddenly, racing across the ceiling like a demonic wave, trapping hundreds in a deadly inferno. Forty lives were lost – young partygoers, tourists, locals – burned alive or suffocated in the chaos. Over 116 others suffered severe injuries, many fighting for survival in overwhelmed hospitals.

What began as one of Europe’s worst nightlife tragedies has morphed into something far darker: a scandal of alleged negligence, safety violations, and – most shockingly – a potential digital cover-up executed while the building was still smoldering and families desperately searched for their loved ones.

Jacques Moretti, 49, and his wife Jessica Moretti, 40 – the French couple who owned and operated Le Constellation – are now at the center of a criminal investigation for manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm, and arson through gross carelessness. Prosecutors in the canton of Valais have placed them under formal scrutiny, a move that has ignited public fury across Switzerland and beyond. But it’s not just the lack of fire inspections for years or the flammable soundproofing foam on the ceiling that has outraged the nation. It’s the chilling reports emerging from witnesses and digital forensics experts: As flames devoured the bar and screams echoed into the night, someone linked to the venue allegedly began scrubbing its online presence.

Social media accounts associated with Le Constellation were suddenly locked, blocked, or wiped clean. Photos and videos showcasing packed parties, the basement layout, ceiling decorations, and exit signs vanished overnight. Instagram stories highlighting champagne bottles with sparklers – the very items believed to have ignited the blaze – disappeared. Critical traces of the bar’s renovations, done personally by the Morettis after they acquired the venue in 2015, were erased from public view.

“Why were they thinking about this… while the building was still burning?” one bereaved family member asked anonymously in a Swiss newspaper interview, echoing the question exploding across Europe. While firefighters battled the blaze, while paramedics pulled charred bodies from the rubble, while parents called hospitals in vain hope – someone was allegedly busy “cleaning” the digital scene.

Let that sink in.

Forty people were dying.

And someone was thinking about erasing tracks.

The fire erupted around 1:30 a.m. on January 1, 2026, in the crowded basement party room of Le Constellation, a longstanding institution in Crans-Montana known for its vibrant nightlife. Videos circulating on social media – preserved by quick-thinking users before any deletions – capture the terrifying moment: Revellers wave bottles of champagne topped with lit sparklers, the sparks showering dangerously close to the low ceiling clad in acoustic foam. Suddenly, flames lick across the material, spreading with ferocious speed. Panic ensues. Screams fill the air as people rush toward exits, some blocked or inadequate for the crowd. An explosion – possibly from pressurized bottles or gases – rips through, intensifying the hellfire.

Witnesses describe a scene of pure terror. “It happened in seconds,” one survivor told Reuters. “We thought it was part of the show at first – fireworks or something. Then the ceiling was on fire, and black smoke everywhere. People were trampling each other.” Another recounted: “The exits were narrow, and there was a crush. I saw friends disappear in the flames.”

The death toll climbed rapidly: 40 confirmed dead, many young – teenagers celebrating milestones, twenty-somethings on holiday, even a 16-year-old Swiss girl who attended “by chance.” Heroes emerged in the tragedy: a young boxer who died trying to save a friend, pulling others toward safety before succumbing himself. Victims included locals and international tourists, their stories now immortalized in heartbreaking tributes.

As emergency services triaged the injured in nearby bars and banks, intensive care units across Switzerland filled to capacity. Victims were airlifted to burn centers in Lausanne, Zurich, even France and Italy. The Swiss president called it “one of the worst tragedies in our country’s history,” a nation in collective mourning.

Investigators quickly zeroed in on the cause: sparklers held too close to the highly flammable polyurethane foam used for soundproofing. This cheap material, common in clubs for acoustics but notorious for igniting rapidly and releasing toxic fumes, turned the basement into a death trap. Preliminary reports suggest blocked or insufficient exits exacerbated the catastrophe – doors that didn’t open outward, emergency routes cluttered, fire extinguishers allegedly locked away.

And here’s where the outrage deepens: Le Constellation had not undergone a fire safety inspection in at least five years, possibly six, according to the local mayor. The Morettis, who bought and personally renovated the bar in 2015, transforming it into a modern hotspot, insisted in early statements that “everything was done according to the rules” and that the venue had passed inspections “three times in ten years.” But records contradict this. No checks since 2019, authorities admitted – a shocking lapse in a country renowned for stringent safety standards.

Jacques Moretti’s background adds fuel to the controversy. Reports in French and Swiss media reveal a prior criminal history, including jail time for procuring – allegations from his past in Corsica that have resurfaced amid the scrutiny.

The couple broke their silence days later, issuing a statement through lawyers: “Words cannot adequately describe the tragedy that unfolded that night. We are overwhelmed with grief and very unwell.” They vowed not to “shirk responsibility” but offered no specifics on safety measures or the fire’s prevention.

Yet, the most incendiary allegations concern the digital aftermath. Sources close to the investigation, speaking anonymously to tabloids and broadcasters, claim that within hours of the fire – as bodies were still being recovered – social media profiles tied to the bar were altered. Posts showing overflowing crowds, decorative ceilings, and sparkler-fueled parties were deleted. The venue’s Instagram and Facebook pages went private or inactive. Hashtags and geotags linking to past events vanished.

“This doesn’t look like panic,” one investigator reportedly told a Swiss outlet. “It looks like calculated damage control.” Prosecutors are now probing whether this constitutes obstruction of justice or evidence tampering in a digital age where online footprints can prove or disprove negligence.

What were they trying to hide?

Those missing photos and videos could have revealed crucial details: the exact layout of exits, the thickness of the foam ceiling, capacity violations during packed nights, warnings ignored. In a criminal case hinging on negligence, such evidence is gold – or damning.

Public suspicion runs rampant. Online forums buzz with theories: Did the Morettis order the cleanup themselves, from a safe distance? Or a panicked employee? Families of victims, gathered in grief-stricken vigils on the slopes forming heart shapes with skis, demand answers. “While we were identifying our children’s bodies in the morgue, they were deleting memories?” one mother raged in a viral video.

The investigation widens. Police have seized computers, phones, and servers. Digital forensics teams scour for deleted files, recovered posts, server logs. International experts may be called if data was backed up offshore.

Crans-Montana, once synonymous with luxury and leisure, now bears scars. The charred ruins of Le Constellation stand cordoned off, a grim reminder amid pristine snow. Memorials pile with flowers, candles, messages: “Forever in our hearts.” Skiers pause in silence. The resort’s economy teeters – bookings canceled, tourists wary.

This is no longer just a fire.

It’s a crime scene – physical and digital.

As Europe watches, questions loom: Will justice uncover the full truth, or has it already been erased? In an era where one click can hide history, the ashes of Le Constellation whisper a warning: Negligence kills, but attempts to bury it may condemn the soul.

The 40 voices silenced that night demand to be heard. Their stories – of laughter cut short, futures stolen – must not vanish like pixels in the night.