Swiss prosecutors on Monday announced they were investigating five current and former local officials as part of the probe into the New Year's bar fire in the town of Crans-Montana that killed 41 people.

This handout photograph taken and released by the Swiss Valais cantonal Police department on February 8, 2026, shows firefighters working to extinguish a fire at a memorial site in front of the bar "Le Constellation" in tribute to the victims of the fatal fire that ravaged the bar on New Year's Eve in Crans-Montana. (Photo: AFP)

A source close to the case confirmed to AFP that the president of the municipality, Nicolas Feraud, is among those under suspicion, as reported by Swiss media. The Wallis canton's public prosecutor's office declined to provide further details.

Nine people are now under investigation, including the French couple who owned Le Constellation bar, the current head of security for Crans-Montana and his predecessor, who left his position in 2024.