With a nationwide minute's silence Confederation plans national day of mourning for victims of bar inferno
The victims of the devastating fire disaster in Crans-Montana will be remembered on Friday. The President of the Swiss Confederation has also announced a national day of mourning with a minute's silence.
04.01.2026, 07:30
04.01.2026, 08:32
dpa
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- The Swiss Confederation is planning a national day of mourning on Friday for the victims of the Crans-Montana bar fire.
- Church bells are to ring throughout Switzerland at 2 pm, accompanied by a minute's silence.
- The criminal investigation against the operators of the bar is ongoing and the municipality is acting as joint plaintiff.
Following the fire disaster in a bar in Crans-Montana that left 40 people dead, the victims are to be commemorated on January 9 with a memorial service and a national day of mourning. The official memorial service in the prestigious ski resort in the canton of Valais was announced by the municipality on its website.
President Guy Parmelin told the "Sonntagszeitung" newspaper that he would be in attendance. It is not yet clear whether foreign heads of state will also be attending. Parmelin announced that a national day of mourning was also planned for Friday.
At 2 p.m. - at the start of the funeral service in Crans-Montana - church bells will ring throughout the country, accompanied by a nationwide minute's silence, as Parmelin went on to say. "In this moment of silence, all people in Switzerland - and worldwide - can personally remember the victims of the disaster."
Police have launched a criminal investigation
In the devastating fire in Crans-Montana on New Year's Eve, 40 people lost their lives and 119 were injured, most of them seriously. According to initial findings by investigators, foam on the ceiling caught fire due to sparking party fountains. The fire spread within a very short time. The Swiss police launched a criminal investigation against the bar operators for negligent homicide and negligent bodily harm, among other things.
Meanwhile, according to media reports, the municipality of Crans-Montana announced that the municipal council had unanimously decided on Saturday to participate as a joint plaintiff in the proceedings initiated by the prosecution authorities. A civil action has been filed. It will also hand over all available documents relating to the fire in the bar to the public prosecutor's office, it said.
The bar was particularly popular with young people, so most of those seriously injured were teenagers or young adults. By Saturday, four of the 40 fatalities had been identified. They are Swiss nationals between the ages of 16 and 21. No German victims have been reported so far.
