Today, 9 January. day of national mourning is being held in Switzerland on this Friday, following a fire which killed 40 young people, mostly teenagers, in a bar in the Crans-Montana ski resort on New Year's Eve.
Church bells rang across the country for five minutes, and people stood for a minute's silence in their memory.
credits: 2026 AFP
Firefighters in the resort were applauded as they joined an audience watching the tribute ceremony, which was live-streamed to Crans-Montana from the Swiss city of Martigny.
The ceremony saw the leaders of neighbouring countries, including France's Emmanuel Macron, join an audience while speakers, including the Valais canton's president, paid tribute to those who died.
The fire at the bar Le Constellation the 1st January 2026 in the Swiss ski resort Crans-Montana appears to have been caused by sparklers placed on bottles of champagne that came "too close to the ceiling", authorities said.
Many victims were teenagers. Investigators say sparklers likely ignited flammable acoustic foam on the ceiling, and witnesses described flames racing overhead before many patrons understood the danger.
Forty four people died, the most part young people between 13 to 17 years, after the blaze in the early hours of New Year's Day in Crans-Montana, while 119 were injured very bad.
The president of the Valais, Reynard said around 50 injured people "have been transferred or will be transferred soon to European countries in specialised centres for severe burns".
"Everything leads us to think that the fire started from sparkling candles - or sparklers - which were put on bottles of champagne [that were] moved too close to the ceiling. From that, a blaze began very quickly",
Valais Attorney General Beatrice Pilloud
Many of those injured in the fire remain in a critical condition and "are still fighting to live", Mathias Reynard, president of the Valais region, said.
Of those injured, 113 have been formally identified. This figure includes 71 Swiss citizens, 14 French, and 11 Italians, as well as four Serbs, among others.
WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo, in consultation with the Host Country Authorities, ordered the WMO flag to be flown at
“Many of the victims were young, full of projects, hopes and dreams. Their life must be honoured for what it was: for their promise, energy and part of our common future,”
wrote Swiss President Guy Parmelin in the book of condolences.
“To all the mourning families and victims … we share your pain.”
A survivor of the fire that broke out in the early hours of New Year's Day in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana. The 19-year-old hero risked his life twice to save friends during the deadly New Year fire at Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Switzerland.
Ferdinand Du Beaudiez, from France, described the horrifying moments inside the blaze, saying: “I felt this fireball over my head… I couldn’t breathe!” He rescued severely burned friends, while his brother remains in a coma.
Another survivor of the fire that broke out in the early hours of New Year's Day in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana described how she lost sight of a friend while escaping the flames.
"I held my friend's arm, but... I climbed up the stairs and let go of his arm. He's not answering me anymore," the young woman said in tears.
Around 40 young people died in the fire and 115 others were left injured.
credits: Crans-Montana
via WHO
Dozens of skiers created a heart shape on the slopes of Crans-Montana to mourn the victims of the deadly bar fire on New Year's Eve.
Forty people were killed at the bar where the fire began, as we hnow while 116 others were very injured.
Swiss prosecutors have opened a criminal investigation into the managers of Le Constellation bar.
Education :
Back on their understanding is important because it has to be spoken, not to leave the children with what it will come up with some information that they had to correct because they had not quite understand and after answer to their questions.
More than ever, we must have the right word to express our and their emotion, our and their tears, our and their sorrow.
"We tend to want to protect the children in our sorrow concerning the tragedy, but in toddlers 3 or 4 years, it can lead them to imagine terrible things, says an analyst."
Be careful ! It does not mean give details. This is the time to reaffirm that nothing can replace the word.
- Important !
Tell and demonstrate with photos or Reels young students the danger of sparkling candles or sparklers, now used often on birthday cakes. Never on bottles to the oldest. Don't use it anymore !
credits: partyplanet.net.au
- Some thoughts:
Teachers and parents! Talk and share thoughts with your students or kids, no matter their age. But be caredful with your words. Students have a lot of questions, not just today, but still tomorrow, and in the coming days.
"In talking with them is also to protect them from danger by respecting their life."
On this day, 9 January, Swiss national mourning, pay our respect to the 44 young dead from different countries and to their families.
Education ! Switzerland : Pray for the kids and their parents ! by G-Souto is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
