On this national day of mourning in Switzerland, hundreds gathered under the snow in Crans-Montana to pay tribute to the 40 victims of the Constellation bar fire. Meanwhile, manager Jacques Moretti was placed in preventive detention after a hearing, while his wife Jessica tearfully apologized. The incident, on New Year's Eve, left 116 injured, many of them adolescents.
On January 9, 2026, Switzerland marked a national day of mourning following the deadly fire that broke out in the early hours of New Year's Day at Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, a ski resort in the Valais canton. The blaze killed 40 people, including nine French nationals and about half minors, and injured 116, mostly adolescents and young adults from France and Italy.
Hundreds of locals and visitors braved freezing cold and snow gusts to gather silently in front of Chapelle St-Christophe, where two giant screens broadcast the national tribute ceremony. Among them was Nicolas, 20, from Lausanne, who traveled with his family to honor five friends who died. The event featured readings, symbolic gestures, musical performances, and speeches by authorities, as per the Valais canton.
Meanwhile, in the canton's capital of Sion, the French couple managing the bar, Jacques and Jessica Moretti, underwent a seven-hour hearing by the Valais public prosecutor's office. The criminal investigation, opened on January 3 for 'homicide by negligence, bodily harm by negligence, and fire by negligence,' resulted in Jacques Moretti's placement in preventive detention by midday. His wife was released and, tearfully facing cameras, stated: 'My constant thoughts go to the victims; it's an unimaginable tragedy. I want to apologize.'
Jacques's father, Jean Mathieu Moretti, in Corsica, defended the family's honor: 'We are not thugs!' Victims' families' lawyers, such as Me Romain Jordan, emphasize the need to preserve evidence and prevent any influence on testimonies. The probe is examining potential failures in safety, access for minors, and inspections.
