Tragedy Strikes Crans-Montana: Memorial Held for Fire Victims

Sun Jan 11 2026 02:38:34 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

A memorial in Crans-Montana honors the lives lost in a devastating New Year's Eve fire at 'Le Constellation' ski bar. Survivors recount a night of horror, while the bar's owners face severe allegations of negligence.

In Crans-Montana, Switzerland, a national day of mourning was observed for victims of a New Year's Eve fire that claimed 40 young lives. Survivors shared harrowing accounts of the tragedy, while authorities detained the bar's owners for suspected negligence. The incident has sparked widespread outrage and demands for accountability, with calls for thorough investigations into safety violations at the bar.

Tragedy brought people together in Crans-Montana and brought the country to a standstill. On Friday, just down the road from the bar where 40 young people were killed by fire on New Year's Eve, church bells rang in their memory. They tolled right across Switzerland, to mark a national day of mourning.

Then, moments after the last notes of a special memorial service had faded, came the news that one of the bar's owners had been detained. Swiss prosecutors said Jacques Moretti, a French national, was a potential flight risk. He and his wife Jessica, also French, are suspected of manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence, and arson by negligence.

Many of the victims' families had demanded action from the start, and more than a week after the fire, anger in this community has been increasing. At the main ceremony in Martigny, down in the valley, relatives of the dead were joined by survivors who held white roses in their laps for support. The images we faced were unbearable. A scene worse than a nightmare. Screams ringing out in the icy cold, the smell of burning. It was apocalyptic, recalled a young woman named Marie, who had witnessed the chaos unfolding from a nearby bar.

Listening in the front row were the presidents of France and Italy, whose citizens were among those killed and injured in the fire. Italy's prime minister pledged to ensure accountability, targeting local authorities for their negligence in conducting safety checks of the bar.

Witness accounts reveal a catastrophic scene inside Le Constellation, with mobile phone footage showing that a sparkler had ignited the fire, aided by untested flammable soundproofing foam. Eyewitnesses also indicated that emergency exits were blocked, resulting in a human crush during the evacuation.

Now, the bar still stands behind white plastic sheets, a haunting reminder of the disaster. The community continues to express its grief, while survivors wrestle with guilt over their survival in the wake of such tragedy. It was a hell inside that bar. More than 1,000 degrees of temperature. There was no way to escape, said Italy's ambassador to Switzerland, voicing the urgent call for justice.

As the investigation unfolds, the focus remains not just on the bar's owners but on local authorities who have acknowledged their failure to conduct mandatory safety inspections for five years. The families of victims and survivors are united in their quest for answers and accountability.