Waitress blamed for starting deadly ski resort blaze told parents she was 'exhausted' after being made to work 'relentlessly' by bar's owners
Cyane Panine was among the victims who died after the flames tore through Le Constellation on New Year's Eve.
Cyane Panine, 24, died in the blaze.
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The waitress blamed for igniting a New Year’s fire that led to the deaths of 40 people at a Swiss ski resort told her parents she had been made to work “relentlessly” by the bar’s owners. Cyane Panine was among the victims who died after the flames tore through Le Constellation, in the ski resort of Crans Montana, on New Year's Eve.Prior to the blaze, she had been filmed holding two champagne bottles containing sparklers while sitting atop a colleague's shoulders.It is believed these sparklers set fire to soundproof foam used in the bar, causing the deadly blaze.Read more: Owner of Swiss bar where 40 died in tragic New Year fire detained for three months due to 'flight risk'Read more: Majority of 40 Swiss bar fire victims died after renovated staircase 'collapsed' as they tried to escape
Jacques und Jessica Moretti arrive with their lawyers at the prosecutor's office in Sion, Switzerland, Friday, January 9.
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Alamy
The bar's owners, Jacques and Jessica Moretti, are facing a slew of charges, including manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence and arson by negligence.Speaking on behalf of Ms Panine’s parents, a lawyer claims the young waitress was mistreated by the bar’s French owners, left “mentally and physically” exhausted by her work.According to lawyer Sophie Haenni, Ms Panine was working at both the bar and the couple’s high-end restaurant, often on the same day.She said: “Her shift began during the day at the Senso restaurant and then continued until the early hours of the morning at the Le Constellation bar.”Before the blaze, Ms Panine had contacted the workers' protection service over her employment conditions, the lawyer added.
Footage emreged of the fire which is believed to have been started by "flares" placed on top of champagne bottles.
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The young waitress was not even supposed to be serving champagne on New Year’s Eve, Ms Haenni claims, but was forced to carry the bottles at the request of the bar’s owners.She told BILD: “Jessica Moretti asked her to go down to the basement to help her colleagues, given the large number of champagne bottles ordered.“Cyane simply followed the instructions given, did her job, and did so in front of the manager. She was never informed of the ceiling's danger and received no safety training.”The lawyer concluded that the fire could have been avoided if “safety standards (particularly regarding materials) had been followed and the required inspections carried out'”It comes after Ms Panine’s parents, Astrid and Jerôme, claimed the bar’s emergency exit had been closed off to prevent those inside from sneaking in without paying a €1,000 table charge.Astrid told broadcaster France 3 Occitanie: "Jacques had closed the emergency exit because he was afraid people would come in without paying.
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis (2nd R) attends the official memorial ceremony mourning the victims.
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Alamy
"The tables cost 1,000 euros. And if you can't even put a guard at that door. If the door had been open, maybe there wouldn't have been any deaths."The couple said that Cyane was carried unconscious to a bar across the street after the fire, with footage emerging showing the flames spreading across the ceiling.Astrid added: "She was unconscious, but still alive. They tried to resuscitate her for forty minutes. To no avail."Investigators previously established that 34 of those who died in the fire were trapped after the cramped staircase collapsed.The staircase, leading up to the door from the basement bar, fell apart as people rushed to escape.The stairwell had been narrowed by two-thirds by the owner after renovations, the investigation found.One of those emergency exits, which would have provided a potential escape route, was reportedly located within the basement.Ms Panine is said to have accidentally started the fire after she was seen carrying sparklers moments before the blaze erupted.Footage from the night showed a young woman sitting on one of her colleagues’ shoulders, brandishing two champagne bottles with sparklers attached.Her parents say she had been "encouraged" by Ms Moretti to get the "atmosphere going."The pyrotechnics are thought to have then lit the soundproofing foam in the ceiling, triggering the blaze, which also injured 116 others.Mr Moretti faces a range of charges, including manslaughter by negligence and is currently in police custody.His wife is also under investigation.
