Four days after the New Year’s tragedy, in which at least 40 people died in a bar fire, Crans-Montana in the Swiss canton of Valais remained in shock on Sunday, January 4. In silence and reflection, thousands braved the cold to march along the main street of the renowned Swiss winter sports resort, reaching a roundabout near Le Constellation, the establishment where the New Year’s Eve tragedy unfolded and which was now shielded from view by a white tarp. An impromptu memorial had been set up, with hundreds of candles and flowers reflecting the grief of residents and tourists alike.

Among the crowd, a woman (who requested anonymity) stood between absolute distress and anger. She had no news of her son for nearly three days before finally learning of his death on the evening of January 3, shortly before 11 pm. “Our son went to celebrate in heaven. We can now begin our mourning,” she said, describing how difficult it was to endure such a long wait. She also expressed anger at the prolonged silence from Swiss authorities. “I was able to kiss my son this morning at the morgue. He was neither disfigured nor charred, contrary to what we had been led to believe, and his fingers were intact, which should have allowed for quick fingerprint identification.”

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