Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has sharply criticised a hospital in Sion, Switzerland, for sending bills to the families of victims of the devastating New Year's Eve fire at Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana. In a post on X, Meloni described the demand for €70,000 from families whose relatives were hospitalised for only a few hours as “an insult on top of a mockery.”
Meloni stated that she had spoken with Italy's ambassador to Switzerland, who received assurances from Swiss authorities that the billing was a mistake and that families would not be required to pay. However, she instructed the ambassador to maintain close attention to the issue, calling it “abhorrent” for such costs to fall on victims or Italy.
Background of the Tragedy
The fire broke out in the early hours of 1 January at Le Constellation, a bar in the upmarket Alpine resort of Crans-Montana. Prosecutors believe the blaze started when champagne bottles with attached sparklers were raised too close to the ceiling in the bar's basement, igniting sound-insulation foam. The disaster killed 41 people, most of them teenagers, and injured 115 others.
Nine individuals are under criminal investigation, including the bar's French owners, Jacques and Jessica Moretti, who face charges of manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence, and arson by negligence. They have been questioned twice by public prosecutors and lawyers for the civil parties.
The municipality sparked outrage on 6 January when it revealed that no annual safety check had been conducted at the bar since 2019.
Diplomatic Tensions
In January, Meloni and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani expressed “strong indignation” over the decision to release Jacques Moretti on bail. Italy recalled its ambassador to Switzerland to determine further measures. Vice President of the Swiss Federal Council Ignazio Cassis responded on X, stating, “We understand the pain, because it's our pain too,” and reaffirmed the willingness of both countries to support each other in the shared tragedy.
The incident has strained relations between Italy and Switzerland, though both sides have emphasised cooperation. The billing controversy adds a new layer of distress for the families, who are already grappling with immense loss.
This tragedy highlights broader issues of safety oversight in European nightlife venues. Similar concerns have emerged in other contexts, such as medical errors in hospitals, underscoring the need for rigorous regulatory enforcement across the continent.
