The Swiss Federal Council said on Wednesday it will make a one-off payment of 50,000 Swiss francs ($56,000) to the severely injured and to the bereaved families of victims of the New Year bar fire in the ski resort of Crans-Montana. The blaze claimed 41 lives and left more than 100 people hurt, authorities said.
Described by the government as a solidarity contribution, the payment is intended to provide prompt financial assistance to those most affected and to express a national gesture of compassion. In principle, the Federal Council's statement said, the payment should apply to each individual who lost their life and to every person who was hospitalised as a result of the fire.
Swiss authorities have reported 116 injuries linked to the incident. Officials noted that a large share of the deceased were teenagers and that many of the victims were not Swiss nationals, including several from France and Italy.
Beyond the one-off payments, the Federal Council said it will organise a roundtable aimed at bringing victims, insurers and public authorities together to negotiate out-of-court settlements. The government said these mediated agreements could help avoid protracted legal proceedings, and it signalled a willingness to contribute up to 20 million francs toward such settlements.
To address immediate fiscal pressures on local administrations, the government also plans to allocate 8.5 million francs to assist the cantons affected with extraordinary costs stemming from the disaster. The Federal Council indicated it had taken these steps following an analysis by the Federal Office of Justice, which identified shortcomings in existing support mechanisms that are primarily built for individual cases and perform poorly in the face of mass-casualty events.
The government said it hopes parliament will move quickly to pass the legislation it has drafted to operationalise these measures. The statement framed the package as both a practical response to urgent needs and a recognition that conventional compensation and support frameworks did not adequately anticipate a catastrophe of this scale.
Summary
The Federal Council will pay 50,000 francs to severely injured survivors and to the families of the 41 people killed in the Crans-Montana bar fire, will fund and convene mediation to seek out-of-court settlements with up to 20 million francs available, and will allocate 8.5 million francs to help cantons cover extraordinary costs after an analysis found gaps in existing disaster support systems.
Key points
- One-off payment of 50,000 Swiss francs to each deceased individual and each hospitalised person affected by the Crans-Montana fire.
- Federal Council will convene a roundtable for victims, insurers and authorities and may provide up to 20 million francs toward out-of-court settlements.
- 8.5 million francs earmarked to assist affected cantons with extraordinary expenses; measures follow a Federal Office of Justice review highlighting support system gaps.
Risks and uncertainties
- Potential for prolonged litigation if out-of-court settlements are not reached - this could involve the insurance and legal services sectors.
- Delays or failure by parliament to expedite the drafted legislation could slow delivery of financial support to victims and cantons.
- Existing support systems may still prove inadequate for large-scale disasters, creating uncertainty for public finances and cantonal budgets while compensatory measures are implemented.