Swiss fire families fear evidence loss

GENEVA:

Families of victims of the deadly New Year bar inferno in Switzerland fear the "destruction of evidence" by the establishment's owners or "someone close to them", a lawyer representing several families said Wednesday.

"My clients fear that evidence will be tampered with or destroyed, given the lack of searches and other decisive measures by the public prosecutor's office" in Switzerland's southwestern Wallis canton, Romain Jordan, told AFP.

The lawyer regretted that the French couple who own Le Constellation bar in the ski resort of Crans-Montana had not been subjected to any restrictions on their freedom following the tragedy that left 40 dead and 116 injured as they celebrated the New Year. Most of those killed were teenagers.

To Jordan's knowledge, the public prosecutor's office has not conducted any searches. "In the early morning, while the establishment was still on fire, the owners of the bar Le Constellation, or someone close to them, suspended access to the Facebook page," he said.