Switzerland Holds Day of National Mourning for Alpine Bar Fire Victims

A total of 40 people died in the New Year’s Day blaze at Le Constellation in the ski resort of Crans-Montana.A makeshift memorial near Le Constellation in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, on Jan. 6, 2026. Fabrice Coffrini / AFP via Getty Images1/9/2026|Updated: 1/9/2026Switzerland is holding a national day of mourning on Jan. 9 to honor the 40 people killed in an Alpine bar fire on New Year’s Day.A further 116 people were injured, many of them seriously, when the fire broke out less than two hours after midnight at the Le Constellation bar in the ski resort of Crans-Montana on Jan. 1.Guy Birchall is a UK-based journalist covering a wide range of national stories with a particular interest in freedom of expression and social issues.Author’s Selected Articles