Swiss bar worker ‘who started New Year fire’ had no safety training, lawyer claims

Swiss bar worker ‘who started New Year fire’ had no safety training, lawyer claims Cyane Panine, 24, who was among 40 victims who lost their life in the blaze, was also alleged to have been unaware of the danger posed by the ceiling that caught alight A bar worker believed to have started the deadly New Year fire in Switzerland by mistake got no safety training, her family’s lawyer claims. Cyane Panine has been identified as the woman seen wearing a helmet, sitting on a colleague’s shoulders as she held champagne bottles with sparklers attached. But the 24-year-old - among 40 victims who lost their life in the blaze - was alleged to have been unaware of the danger posed by the ceiling that caught alight. Authorities have accused Le Constellation bar’s French owners, Jacques and Jessica Moretti, of manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence and arson by negligence. As well as those who died, 116 were injured in the fire in the Alpine ski resort of Crans-Montana. READ MORE: Swiss bar fire owners found 'stepdaughter' dying 'in a pile of bodies' in final moments alive READ MORE: Swiss bar owner 'desperately tried to save waitress before she died in fire' Sophie Haenni, the lawyer representing Panine's family, told the BBC the bar worker "wasn't supposed to be serving tables" on the night of the fire but had been asked to go downstairs to help manage high demand. "Cyane simply followed the instructions given, did her job, and did so in front of the manager (Jessica Moretti)," Haenni said. "She was never informed of the ceiling's danger and received no safety training." Haenni claimed that "if safety standards (particularly regarding materials) had been followed and the required inspections carried out," the casualties "could have been avoided," adding: "Cyane is undoubtedly a victim." The statement from lawyers for Panine's family also claims she "felt used" and was "suffering from her working conditions". "She [Panine] expressed her incomprehension at the lack of empathy and understanding from her employers" in regards to her workload, the statement adds. "My clients have lost their daughter, their sister. A loved one, a wonderful person, has been stolen from them," the lawyer’s statement said. Lawyers for Jacques and Jessica Moretti were contacted for a response by the BBC. It comes after a Swiss court imposed a travel ban on Jessica Moretti on Wednesday, an alternative to pre-trial detention. She previously told reporters she was sorry about the "unthinkable tragedy". Meanwhile, Jacques Moretti is being held in custody for an initial 90-day period. Initial findings from a probe into the fire suggest it was caused by sparklers igniting soundproof foaming lining the ceiling.

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