No safety inspections were carried out since 2019 at the Swiss bar where a fire broke out on New Year's Eve, killing 40 people and injuring 116 others, the mayor of the town of Crans-Montana has said.
"Periodic inspections were not conducted between 2020 and 2025. We bitterly regret this," Crans-Montana mayor Nicolas Feraud told a press conference in the Alpine ski resort, five days after the disaster at Le Constellation bar.
"We are profoundly sorry. We did not have an indication that the checks had not been done," Mr Feraud said.
The fire broke out in the early hours of 1 January as New Year revellers were celebrating in the packed bar.
Prosecutors have said that the fire was likely caused by sparkling candles igniting the ceiling of the bar's basement.
Video footage from the tragedy shows young people desperately trying to flee the scene, some breaking windows to try to force their way out.
One video shared on social media showed the low wooden ceiling - covered with soundproofing foam - catching fire and the flames spreading quickly, as partygoers continued to dance.
The mayor said today that the soundproof foam used in the bar was considered acceptable at the time.
All sparkler candles have now been banned inside venues, the mayor said.
Looking at the images of the event, experts suggested the "highly flammable" foam may have caused a flashover - a near-simultaneous ignition of everything in an enclosed space.
The 40 victims, aged between 14 and 39, included: 21 Swiss nationals; nine French nationals including one Franco-Swiss and one triple national of France, Israel and Britain; six Italians including one Italian-Emirati; one Belgian woman; one Portuguese woman; one Romanian man; and one Turkish man.
With Crans-Montana a popular destination for international tourists, many foreign nationals are among those injured in the blaze.
Watch: Skiers make heart-shaped tribute in memory of Swiss fire victims
They include 71 Swiss nationals, 14 French - the French foreign ministry gave a tally of 16 at the weekend - 11 Italians, four Serbs, a Belgian, a Bosnian, one person from Luxembourg and also a Polish person and a Portuguese person.
Switzerland has declared a national day of mourning for Friday 9 January, with all the church bells in the country poised to ring at 2pm (1pm Irish time).
A moment of silence is also planned.
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