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Parents Support ‘Girl in the Helmet’ Accused of New Year’s Eve Fire in Switzerland

TL:DR – Parents Support ‘Girl in the Helmet’ Accused of New Year’s Eve Fire in Switzerland

• New Year’s Eve tragedy at La Constellation bar in Crans-Montana resulted in 40 deaths and 116 injuries.
• 24-year-old Cyane Panine, dubbed ‘la Fille au Casque’, died after a fire caused by flammable ceiling foam.
• Investigations reveal safety breaches and lack of fire inspections since 2019.
• Bar owners face manslaughter charges; the venue’s single staircase hindered evacuations.
• Ms Panine’s parents express heartbreak over safety neglect and her tragic role during the incident.

Parents defend ‘girl in the helmet’ blamed for New Year’s Eve Swiss resort fire | News World

Cyane Panine was holding champagne bottles with sparklers while wearing a crash helmet moments before a fire erupted at a bar in the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana (Picture: Instagram)

### Tragic Night at La Constellation

Cyane Panine was one of more than 100 people inside a bar at the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana when disaster struck on New Year’s Eve. The 24-year-old waitress quickly became known as ‘la Fille au Casque’ – or The Girl in the Helmet – after pictures circulated of her masked and waving champagne bottles with sparklers. That night, as 2026 dawned, a total of 40 people died, and 116 were injured after spending the evening at La Constellation bar.

### Investigation into the Fire

An investigation found that it was likely that the tragedy unfolded after the bar’s ceiling, clad in acoustic foam, caught fire. However, Ms. Panine’s parents have since spoken out at their devastation that their daughter has become associated with the cause of the incident at the venue, whose owners are now the subject of a criminal investigation. Jerome and Astrid recall their daughter as ‘spontaneous, radiant and full of heart’. Grieving mother Astrid said she would remember Ms. Panine as ‘an elusive butterfly; the kind one longs to catch and immortalise’. The couple told Daily Mail her death was a reminder of ‘all young people who are cut down in their prime’. Cyane, named for the colour of her eyes, accompanied her family on a UNESCO-backed round-the-world sailing adventure to promote water conservation when she was just 11.

Ms. Panine was one of 40 people who died at La Constellation on New Year’s Eve (Picture: AP)

### Owners Face Legal Consequences

She was considered a ‘stepdaughter’ by La Constellation co-owner Jacques Moretti, who acquired the bar with his wife Jessica in 2015. Mr. Moretti is currently in pre-trial detention because of his previous criminal record. The French couple is facing charges of manslaughter as well as bodily harm and arson, all by negligence, for which they could serve up to 20 years in prison if found guilty.

### Lack of Safety Measures

Ms. Panine’s lawyer has since suggested that the waitress did not receive safety training on her job, for which she did not even have an employment contract. The 24-year-old was also allegedly forced to work long hours, leaving her both mentally and physically exhausted. Because of her lack of safety training, she was unaware that the ceiling’s acoustic foam was highly flammable and potentially lethal if set alight. Despite laws requiring annual fire safety checks, it transpired the bar had not been inspected since 2019.

### Chaotic Atmosphere on New Year’s Eve

To add to questions, Ms. Panine was instructed by Mr. Moretti to get the ‘atmosphere going’ on the night horror broke out. This specifically meant wearing a crash helmet, supplied by Champagne giant Dom Perignon, while holding several bottles of bubbly topped with sparklers. The gimmicked mask meant that Ms. Panine would not see the disaster unfolding around her as the nightclub was set ablaze.

Bar owners Jacques and Jessica Moretti are facing charges of manslaughter by negligence following evidence of safety breaches at La Constellation (Picture: Reuters)

### Locked Exits and Tragic Outcomes

A now infamous picture shows the young woman being held up by barman Matthieu Aubrun, 27, who himself was wearing a mask. Of those that died, around 85 percent are estimated to have been trapped in the bar’s basement after struggling to evacuate up the venue’s single staircase. A second ‘service door’ which could have been an escape route was locked, according to the owners, to stop people from entering the bar without paying. However, Ms. Panine’s parents believe it further exacerbated the tragic events of New Year’s Eve. “If the door had been open, maybe there wouldn’t have been deaths,” Jerome said.

Nipah Virus Outbreak in India: Epidemic Threat of Vaccine-Resistant Infection

TL:DR – Nipah Virus Outbreak in India: Epidemic Threat of Vaccine-Resistant Infection

• Indian health authorities are addressing a Nipah virus outbreak in West Bengal, following five confirmed cases, including healthcare workers.
• The symptoms can range from fever and respiratory issues to severe neurological complications, with a high fatality rate (40%-75%).
• The outbreak underscores concerns over zoonotic diseases, particularly after recent viral pandemics.
• Urgent research is called for by WHO to develop treatments and vaccines against this priority pathogen.
• Early recognition of symptoms is vital for effective treatment.

Nipah virus outbreak: ‘Epidemic potential’ over virus with no vaccine spreading in India | News World

Health workers contained an outbreak of Nipah virus in the southern state of Kerala in 2023 (Picture: AFP/Getty Images)

Indian health authorities are tackling a Nipah virus outbreak after five cases of the incurable disease were detected.

The infections from the bat-borne pathogen were reported in the eastern state of West Bengal near the state capital Kolkata, India’s third-most populous city.

Three new infections were reported this week, authorities said.

They include a doctor, a nurse, and a health staff member, according to the Press Trust of India news agency.

A patient suffering from Nipah infection was transferred to an isolation ward in Kozhikode Medical College in Kozhikode, Kerala, in July 2024 (file photo) (Picture: REUTERS)

Two nurses, a male and female, had tested positive earlier. Both were working at the private Narayana Multispeciality Hospital in Barasat, some 15 miles north of Kolkata.

Narayan Swaroop Nigam, the principal secretary of the department of health and family, said one of the two nurses is in critical condition after both developed high fevers and respiratory issues between New Year’s Eve and January 2, The Telegraph reports.

The nurse, who is in a coma, is thought to have caught the infection while treating a patient with severe respiratory issues. The patient died before tests were carried out.

Now the authorities have tested 180 people and quarantined 20 high-risk contacts.

What is the Nipah Virus?

Fruit bats carry Nipah virus (Picture: NurPhoto/Shutterstock)

Nipah virus spreads between animals and people, such as from infected bats or pigs, and it can also be transmitted between people.

Fruit bats, which are common in India across cities and countryside, are the natural hosts of the virus.

In humans, the virus can show as an asymptomatic infection and acute respiratory issues. Symptoms include fever, headaches, muscle pain, vomiting, and sore throat, and severe cases of brain inflammation can lead to a coma within 24 to 48 hours.

It has a fatality rate of between 40% to 75%, and there is no treatment or vaccine against Nipah.

What does ‘priority pathogen’ mean?

The virus has been classified as a priority pathogen by the World Health Organization (WHO) because it has the potential to trigger an epidemic.

The organisation has called for urgent research and development into the pathogen, including animal and human vaccine work.

Should we be worried about it?

Zoonotic diseases – meaning animal-to-human-transferring – have emerged as a source of concern for experts, especially after the Covid-19 and SARS pandemics.

Zoonotic diseases can spread more easily due to human interference with wildlife and environmental changes.

India has seen cases of the virus almost every year for more than two decades.

Consuming bats increases the risk of infection (Picture: Shutterstock / Paulose NK)

Nipah has been linked to dozens of deaths in the southern state of Kerala since the virus was first spotted there in 2018.

Nipah was first detected in Singapore and Malaysia among pig farmers in 1999, and there have been subsequent outbreaks in parts of India and Bangladesh since.

While the virus is common in some species of bats, humans being infected with it is rare, with the most likely source from bats caused by eating an infected animal, Rajeev Jayadevan, the ex-president of the Indian Medical Association, Cochin, said.

The risk of a Nipah virus infection can be reduced by avoiding exposure to pigs and bats and not drinking raw date palm sap, which could have been in contact with the animal.

Nipah does not occur in the UK, and no cases linked to travel have been reported.