'Insult of top of mockery': Meloni criticises Swiss hospital for billing victims of bar fire

Published on 21/04/2026 - 15:33 GMT+2

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni issued a crisp rebuke of a Swiss infirmary connected Tuesday for allegedly billing the families of immoderate of the victims successful a devastating occurrence astatine a barroom successful the Alpine skiing edifice of Crans-Montana connected New Year's Eve.

"I spoke with our ambassador: the Swiss authorities person assured america that it was a mistake, and that the families volition not person to wage anything," Meloni wrote successful a station connected X.

"But I asked the ambassador to support the highest level of attraction to this issue, due to the fact that it would beryllium abhorrent for costs similar these to autumn connected the victims oregon connected Italy."

Meloni besides said that 1 infirmary successful Sion had demanded €70,000 for patients hospitalised for lone a fewer hours, which she called "an insult connected apical of a mockery".

The blaze astatine Le Constellation, a barroom successful the upmarket Alpine resort, broke retired successful the aboriginal hours of 1 January arsenic radical celebrated the New Year.

A full of 41 people, astir of them teenagers, were killed, and different 115 were injured successful the disaster.

Nine radical are nether transgression probe successful the case.

They see the bar's French owners, hubby and woman Jacques and Jessica Moretti, who look charges of manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence and arson by negligence.

They person doubly been questioned astatine magnitude by nationalist prosecutors and lawyers for the civilian parties.

In January, Meloni and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said they asked Rome's ambassador to Switzerland to interaction determination nationalist authoritative Beatrice Pilloud and convey their "strong indignation" implicit the determination to escaped Jacques Moretti connected bail.

Italy has besides recalled its ambassador to Switzerland to "determine what further measures to take", the connection said.

Vice President of the Swiss Federal Council Ignazio Cassis responded connected societal media level X that "we recognize the pain, due to the fact that it's our symptom too," adding that helium had spoken to Tajani, with the 2 of them reaffirming "Switzerland and Italy's willingness to enactment each different successful this shared tragedy."

Prosecutors judge the occurrence started erstwhile champagne bottles with attached sparklers were raised excessively adjacent to the ceiling successful the bar's basement, igniting the sound-insulation foam.

The municipality sparked outrage connected 6 January erstwhile it revealed that nary yearly information cheque had been conducted astatine the barroom since 2019.