Swiss authorities announced on January 4 that all 40 victims in the devastating bar fire at the high-end ski resort Crans-Montana in the southwest of the country have been identified. Initially reported as 119 casualties, it was later clarified that the actual number was 116, with 3 individuals mistakenly accounted for. Following the tragedy, many touching stories have emerged.
According to a report by Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SRF) on January 4, hundreds of people gathered at the Crans-Montana church in the morning for a prayer and mourning service. Among the attendees were family members of the victims, survivors, rescue workers, representatives from the state and local governments, as well as residents and vacationers from Switzerland and around the world.
“I came here because I lost a friend,” said a local resident after the memorial service. Initially holding onto a glimmer of hope in the first few days, he sorrowfully realized over the weekend that his colleague had perished and wouldn’t return. “He sacrificed himself to save others.” After managing to escape, his friend went back to the basement of the bar to assist the victims and never emerged again.
Miracles also unfolded during the fire. In a video from Swiss Information Network (SWI) on January 4, 17-year-old Laeticia Plass, a French-speaking girl, recounted her experience during the fire with her friends. “I closed my eyes and couldn’t see anything, could barely breathe, it felt surreal.” She then described the chaos and desperation as people clamored toward a narrow door, some on fire and others already deceased. Buried under the mass of people, she clutched her cross, held onto another person’s hand, and screamed in terror.
“Buried beneath those burning and dying individuals, I told myself I didn’t want to die. I tightly held onto my cross, grasped someone else’s hand, screaming ‘I don’t want to die,'” Plass recalled. “Then a boy grabbed me and swiftly carried me outside. I don’t know who he was, didn’t even know if I ever thanked him. If he hears these words, I genuinely thank him. Without him, I wouldn’t be here today.”
Laeticia Plass’s ordeal was also featured in a video released by German publication “Der Spiegel” on January 2, shedding further light on her experience.
In the footage preceding her testimony, Plass only mentioned being buried under burning and dying people without detailing her rescue. The subsequent segment from 1 minute and 18 seconds until the end captured her emotional account of another friend’s miraculous survival. With tears in her eyes, she tearfully recounted, “My friend couldn’t escape, so he sat down, tightly holding onto his cross. The flames seemed to spare him, never touching him directly, swirling around him but not burning him. He miraculously survived, breaking a window to flee.”
The girl grew more emotional, choking up and saying, “I came here tonight to thank God for saving me, and to pray for Him to protect my friends. This disaster is too horrific, I miss them greatly. I don’t want to lose anyone else, as we’ve already lost so many, and we are still searching for them.”
Switzerland will observe a national day of mourning on Friday to honor the deceased. Investigations revealed that the bar basement fire was ignited by fireworks tied to champagne bottles that were too close to the ceiling. Following the devastating blaze, questions have arisen across various sectors and accountability for the fire is being pursued.