Memorial ceremony for the victims of the fire in Crans-Montana which occurred on 1 January 2026
Martigny (VS), 09.01.2026 — Speech by Mr Guy Parmelin, President of the Swiss Confederation
Dear families and loved ones of the victims,
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
I speak to you with the restraint and care the current circumstances demand, marked as they are by profound sadness and deep grief. The start of 2026 should have brought the familiar hopes and promises – a new year with a fresh start. For young people especially, such promises take flight on dreams and the rightful hopes of youth – promises destined for the skies that fell too soon into the ashes of a night of horror.
At the turn of the fifth century, Saint Augustine developed in his Confessions the idea that there are three dimensions of present time: the present of things past, the present of things present, and the present of things to come. I call upon his thoughts today, as we stand at the meeting point of yesterday and tomorrow, between memory and hope.
In the wake of this terrible tragedy – one that has, I can say with certainty, united Switzerland in grief – allow me to speak on behalf of our country and say this: we have at this moment the brief privilege of gathering together to share the weight of this burden. Our gathering cannot take away this burden, but if it brings comfort – however small – in our shared grief, that is enough to give it meaning.
The memory of that horrendous night brings to mind the faces of all 156 victims – those who lost their lives and those who were injured – their happy days, their carefree lives.
Our country is devastated by this tragedy. We honour the memory of those who were lost, and we stand beside those now facing a long journey of recovery.
Many of them were on holiday here – young women and men from Australia, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Czech Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Finland, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.
And it was here, with us, that their lives were torn apart, while they were out celebrating the new year with friends, unsuspecting and full of joy.
Our country is listening and will continue to listen to all the families, from Switzerland and beyond, whose lives this catastrophe has changed both brutally and irreversibly. We also wish to express our profound gratitude for the countless messages of support and offers of medical assistance we have received.
Many of the injured, including several Swiss nationals, remain in intensive care in France, Belgium, Germany and Italy.
We are moved by the solidarity shown both nationally and internationally, and are aware of the great debt we owe. We know we do not face this tragedy alone.
Finally, our country thanks wholeheartedly all those who have worked, in whatever capacity, to save lives, to identify those who were lost, to establish the truth – because truth is essential to the bond of trust between our institutions and the society they serve.
In time, hope will be restored, though its shape remains uncertain – for some, defined by the unbearable void of loss; for others, by a long and difficult road to recovery. Hope offers the resilience needed to face our grief, providing a sure remedy, but one which comes in its own time. Hope also depends on our justice system's ability to bring failures to light and to impose consequences without delay or leniency. This is a moral responsibility as well as a duty of the state.
If time and its implications stand at the heart of our prayers today, it is because time is shaped by our consciousness. There would be no time, Saint Augustine tells us, if we had no soul capable of remembering or anticipating. Time lives in our hearts – in our memories of those we mourn and in our hopes for healing.
This ninth of January 2026 is thus a day of remembrance, which we owe to those who died and were injured on New Year's Day. A day of remembrance, and above all of love and support for the victims’ parents, their brothers and sisters, their loved ones and friends, for an entire community that has borne its share of the national tragedy of Crans-Montana.
It is also a day to look ahead, and to call upon the authorities and lawmakers to learn every lesson possible from this tragedy and ensure the highest achievable standards of safety in public establishments.
As the shock endures, three words emerge from the flames of this tragedy: unthinkable, unspeakable, unforgettable.
Unthinkable, because a country known for its rigour and reliability must be especially vigilant against risk – that ever-present shadow, always lurking, always seeking the breach.
Unspeakable, because no superlatives could suffice to describe or quantify the grief we feel, and with it the loss, the pain, and the suffering. Yet we have tried. And we are right to do so, because silence, however healing it may be, is not alone in bringing solace.
Unforgettable, finally, because so many of our children are no longer here with us. They left us in a bar that bore the name of a cluster of stars. May their light endure in our memories.