Crans-Montana: a commemoration ceremony will take place on January 1, one year after the fire which left 41 dead

A commemoration ceremony will be held on January 1 in a neighboring town of Crans-Montana, one year after the fire which left 41 dead on New Year's Eve in the Swiss ski resort. This ceremony, intended to be “sober and dignified,” was scheduled in Grône, a small town located in the Rhône valley, not far from the ski resort, indicated the Council of State of the Alpine canton of Valais (south-west), confirming information from the Swiss agency ATS-Keystone.

This ceremony was initially to be held in the Crans-Montana sports hall, but the location was considered too close to the Congress Center, loaded with painful memories after having sheltered families waiting for news of their loved ones after the tragedy which left 41 dead and 115 injured. “Our objective is to take into account the concerns of the victims and their loved ones,” the State of Valais told AFP.

“Officials from the countries concerned (by the tragedy) were invited to the ceremony”

The chosen room will accommodate 800 people and a live broadcast will also be organized in Crans-Montana by the municipal authorities. The ceremony must be held in the presence of the injured, relatives of the victims, rescuers, firefighters, police officers who intervened during the tragedy, and representatives of the federal, cantonal and municipal authorities. “Officials from the countries affected (by the tragedy) were invited to the ceremony. We are awaiting confirmation of their representation,” the canton also indicated.

On the other hand, none of the people targeted by the criminal investigation opened after the tragedy will be present in Grône, the president of the Valais government Christophe Darbellay confirmed to ATS-Keystone. The fire in this bar, which occurred in the middle of New Year's Eve celebrations, mainly struck teenagers and young adults, including many foreigners, particularly Italians and French people.

Jacques and Jessica Moretti must be heard

The first elements of the investigation showed that the fire was started by sparks from “fountain” candles which ignited sound-absorbing foam on the ceiling of the basement of the bar in the middle of New Year's Eve celebrations. In this case, all defendants face the same charges of “negligent homicide, negligent bodily harm and negligent arson.”

A total of 17 people were placed under investigation, including eight current and former elected officials, including mayor Nicolas Féraud, and seven employees or former employees of the municipality, whose officials recognized just after the tragedy the absence since 2019 of safety and fire checks in the burned bar.

The main defendants, Jacques and Jessica Moretti, French co-owners of the burned bar Le Constellation, must be heard again during two confrontation hearings on November 2 and December 2. Jacques Moretti has been in pre-trial detention since mid-August and was arrested for violence committed against his wife at their home in Valais.