The massacre of young people in Crans-Montana: from the fire to the investigation, what we know

A party night that turns into a nightmare for dozens of very young people: forty-one dead and over 110 injured, the majority of them in critical condition due to the burns they sustained.

The horror materializes just a few hours into 2026 in Crans-Montana, an exclusive ski resort in southwestern Switzerland, where in the early hours between December 31st and January 1st a fire at the Le Constellation venue, owned by a French couple, claims the lives of dozens of teenagers who had gathered to celebrate the New Year.

Among them are six very young Italians: sixteen-year-olds Achille Barosi and Chiara Costanzo, both from Milan, their peers Giovanni Tamburi from Bologna and Riccardo Minghetti from Rome, seventeen-year-old Emanuele Galeppini from Genoa, and Sofia Prosperi, also 16, an Italian-Swiss resident of Lugano. A further 16 Italians are hospitalized in critical condition, most of whom are transferred to the Niguarda hospital in Milan.

A tragedy that knows no borders: among the victims are also Swiss, French, Serbian, Bosnian, Belgian, Luxembourgish, Polish and Portuguese nationals. "This is one of the worst tragedies we have ever experienced," said Swiss Confederation President Guy Parmelin.

THE FACTS

It is around 1:30 in the morning when sparkler candles placed on champagne bottles reach the wooden ceiling covered in sound-absorbing panels in the bar's basement level. The fire is believed to have spread through a "flashover" dynamic — that is, the sudden transition from a localized fire to a generalized one, with heat accumulating beneath the ceiling, combustion gases spreading through the space, and temperatures rising very rapidly.

Scenes of panic and terror described by those present, and later documented in several videos, tell of the initial attempts to extinguish the flames and then the desperate rush toward the exit, with the young people forced to push their way toward the only way out — a narrow staircase — or to break windows with the help of some rescuers, while many of their friends remained trapped.

The first to speak of "an avoidable tragedy" is Italy's ambassador to Switzerland, Gian Lorenzo Cornado.

Alongside the work of identifying the victims, treating the injured, and supporting families with psychological assistance, an investigation has been launched by the Valais Canton prosecutor's office, led by Beatrice Pilloud and her four prosecutors. They themselves, however, have come under criticism for what some consider an excessively lenient approach toward Jacques Moretti and Jessica Maric, the bar's owners.

THE INITIAL INVESTIGATION

The Moretti couple are initially questioned "as witnesses," then three days after the tragedy they are placed under formal investigation — though released — on charges of manslaughter, negligent bodily harm, and negligent arson. At the center of the inquiry is compliance with fire safety measures: from the emergency exit to the staircase leading from the basement level to street level, as well as the materials used in the furnishings and the work carried out by the French couple after they took over the venue. The prosecutor's office confirms the presence of an emergency exit, but some witnesses claim the escape route was blocked.

It also emerges that the venue had not been subject to any inspections since 2020, as admitted by Crans-Montana Mayor Nicolas Féraud.

While investigations continue, January 7th is a day of mourning for five of the Italian victims: large numbers of young people take part in the funerals of Achille Barosi and Chiara Costanzo in Milan, Giovanni Tamburi in Bologna, Riccardo Minghetti in Rome, and Sofia Prosperi in Lugano. On January 8th in Genoa, a ceremony is held for Emanuele Galeppini, whose death the family is demanding clarification on, given that the young man's body showed no burn marks.

And on that very same January 8th, also on the basis of a communication sent by the Farnesina, the Rome prosecutor's office opens a case file (which has jurisdiction over matters involving Italian citizens abroad), following similar initiatives by France and Belgium.

The breakthrough in the Swiss investigation comes the following day, when, at the conclusion of a lengthy interrogation in Sion, Jacques Moretti is arrested at the request of the Valais general prosecutor's office 'for risk of flight'. The measure is validated a few days later by the detention measures tribunal. As the inquiry expands to cover the failure to carry out inspections, the man's first admissions begin to emerge: he reportedly confirmed that on the very night of the New Year's fire, the service door located on the ground floor of the venue had been locked from the inside, and that he himself had replaced the soundproofing foam that caught fire.

It also emerges that in the past, two investigations had already been opened in the Canton of Valais concerning the owners of Le Constellation: the first, a criminal one, dates back to 2020 and centred on Covid funds; the second, two years later, concerns the labour inspectorate.

For Moretti's wife, Jessica, the Sion guarantee tribunal orders her to report regularly to authorities, bans her from leaving Switzerland with the withdrawal of her passport, and requires her to pay bail. The prosecutor's office had requested house arrest and an electronic tag for the woman.

A new twist comes on January 23rd, when the Sion coercive measures tribunal orders the release of Jacques Moretti on bail of 200,000 francs, paid by a friend. A decision that triggers a diplomatic incident: the following day, Italy recalls its ambassador to Bern, Cornado.

Four days later, the first concession from the Swiss authorities: approval is granted for joint Italian-Swiss investigative teams, which had been awaited by the Rome prosecutor's office and set by Prime Minister Meloni as a condition for the ambassador's return to post.

One month after the tragedy, the initial death toll of 40 rises to 41, following the death of an eighteen-year-old Swiss national who had been hospitalised in Zurich. Meanwhile, the Italian patients hospitalised at the Niguarda hospital in Milan receive the comfort of a visit from the Head of State, Sergio Mattarella.

THE INVESTIGATION WIDENS, 17 UNDER INVESTIGATION

But over the course of weeks, and then months, the investigation expands considerably. In connection with the failure to carry out inspections at the venue regarding compliance with safety regulations and in the building practices linked to the structure, a total of 17 people are directly involved in the Valais prosecutor's judicial proceedings: in addition to the Moretti couple, seven current or former municipal employees of Crans-Montana and eight politicians are progressively placed under investigation, among them the mayor of the alpine town, Nicolas Féraud.

The investigation also reportedly revealed that the Municipality was aware that the sound-absorbing foam used at the Constellation posed a high fire risk, based at least on an email in which Rose-Marie Clavien, a former municipal councillor with responsibility for construction between 2017 and 2024 and the most recent addition to the list of suspects, had warned years ago of the danger that the venue could catch fire. A photo has also emerged, taken by one of the survivors, showing a chain sealing the emergency exit of the Constellation's underground venue.

MORETTI'S ARREST FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

At the end of August, Jacques Moretti ended up in prison again, but this time for a reason unrelated to the fire: he is accused of violence against his wife Jessica, for an assault allegedly occurring on the night of 11 to 12 August, when the woman was taken to hospital.

He was therefore once again subjected to a restrictive measure, after the Sion coercive measures court had ruled in July in favour of easing the restriction of daily bail reporting, which could have been replaced by a simple video conference with the cantonal police.

ALL INJURED DISCHARGED, RETURN TO SCHOOL

Also in August, after eight months of treatment, fear and hope, all the young people hospitalised in Milan were discharged. Even the last of the twelve patients, Francesca, left the Burns Centre at Niguarda Hospital on 13 August after 224 days of treatment. With her discharge, all the young patients returned home. Their care required more than 50 surgical procedures in total and at least 30 dressing changes under sedation for each patient, in addition to specialist visits, dressings and laser sessions.

The road to full recovery is long, but in the meantime the survivors were also able to return to school: on 14 September, Sofia, Kean, Leonardo and Francesca — four students from the Virgilio school in Milan — found themselves back at the desks of class 4D at the humanities high school. The classroom was moved to the first floor to minimise the use of stairs, and larger, more comfortable chairs were provided. Two fans were also placed in the room, as the burn-scarred skin of the students, wrapped in bandages and dressings, requires cool temperatures.

"The most beautiful moment was seeing our classmates again," Leonardo Bove recounted upon leaving the school, where they were welcomed with applause and many happy smiles. "It was a unique emotion."

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