At 1.59pm on Friday, Switzerland fell silent. Across the country, people observed a minute’s silence in memory of those killed and injured in the New Year’s Eve fire in Crans-Montana. Many remained quiet for far longer, reported RTS.
They chose not to speak—not just for a minute, but for almost half an hour, said Véronique Mariani, head of the Gymnase de la Cité in Lausanne. It was the bells that eventually broke the silence, she said.
Church bells rang across the country in a moment of collective grief. In Lutry, which lost seven young people in the blaze, the emotion was especially raw. At railway stations, trains sounded their horns as travellers stood still.
In Zurich, hundreds gathered on Münsterhof square, where six of the injured are being treated. Firefighters and paramedics stood alongside mourners of all ages. Time seemed to stop. Train whistles cut through the hush, followed by a minute of silence. Then church bells across Zurich rang in unison for five minutes. An interfaith service lasting around 20 minutes followed at the Fraumünster, attended by municipal and cantonal authorities, including the city’s mayor, Corine Mauch, and cantonal councillor Jacqueline Fehr. In a packed church, worshippers were invited to hold hands before white roses were handed out and laid before a makeshift memorial outside. When emergency responders placed their flowers, the crowd applauded. Zurich’s flags will remain at half-mast until Monday.
A national ceremony was held in Martigny with sobriety and restraint. A minute’s silence was observed at 2pm, followed by bells ringing nationwide. Mathias Reynard, a cantonal councillor from Valais, fought back tears as he paid tribute to the victims, their families, rescuers and public officials. We all bear a moral responsibility, he said. The least we can do is offer the apologies of the entire community.
The president of the confederation, Guy Parmelin, vowed to draw all necessary lessons from an unthinkable, unspeakable tragedy. Many of our children are no longer with us, he said. They died in a bar named after a group of stars—Constellation. They will continue to shine in our memories. He was joined by fellow federal councillors Beat Jans and Ignazio Cassis, alongside foreign dignitaries including Emmanuel Macron and Sergio Mattarella. Representatives from 32 countries, the European Union and the European Parliament also attended.
The fire killed 40 people—22 Swiss nationals and 18 foreigners—aged between 14 and 39; half were minors. A further 116 were injured; 83 remain in hospital.
As the nation mourned, the judicial process moved on. Charged with negligent homicide, Jacques and Jessica Moretti, the owners of the Constellation bar, were questioned for the first time on Friday. Jacques Moretti was remanded in custody after the hearing.
Elsewhere, remembrance took more intimate forms. In Sierre, crowds gathered to support bereaved families. Among them was Joël Rey, a municipal councillor whose daughter died in the fire. His family chose to remain in their home town, which has been hit hard, with five other families grieving. Seeing all those people gathered when I left the town hall—it does you good, he said. You really feel the community coming together.
Back in Crans-Montana, around a thousand people assembled at the Le Régent congress centre—a place etched with the town’s grief since January 1st, when families waited there for news of their children and siblings. Residents, friends and visitors from across Valais were welcomed by a choir from Lausanne. Firefighters and first responders who worked through the night of the disaster were present and received long applause. The commune’s leaders did not speak; instead, its president and fellow councillors laid a wreath of white flowers on the stage, shortly before the broadcast of the official ceremony began.
More on this:
RTS article (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now
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