A diplomatic standoff has emerged between Switzerland and Italy following the tragic New Year's Eve fire at the Le Constellation bar in the ski resort of Crans-Montana. According to reporting by PlanetSKI, the Swiss Federal Social Insurance Office (FSIO) has begun the process of issuing invoices to cover the medical costs of Italian victims treated in Swiss hospitals.
The fire, which resulted in 41 fatalities, has left a lasting scar on the community. While 40 people died on the night of the incident, a 41st victim succumbed to injuries later, as reported by PlanetSKI. The financial recovery efforts by the Swiss authorities, which the FSIO describes as a standard procedure for verifying costs with foreign health insurers under existing EU agreements, have been met with intense scrutiny and anger in Rome.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni labeled the request as "disgraceful" in a public statement. She emphasized that Italy would formally reject any such invoices, expressing her hope that the Swiss authorities would reconsider the approach. Gian Lorenzo Cornado, the Italian Ambassador to Switzerland, echoed this sentiment, arguing that the principle of 'moral responsibility' should supersede bureaucratic billing mechanisms.
Ambassador Cornado highlighted a point of contention regarding fairness, noting that Italy provided care for two Swiss patients injured in the same fire at Milan’s Niguarda hospital for several months without seeking financial compensation. Furthermore, Italy deployed a civil protection helicopter to assist in the immediate aftermath of the fire at no cost to the Swiss government.
Meanwhile, the legal investigation into the tragedy continues. PlanetSKI reports that the owners of the Le Constellation bar, Jacques and Jessica Moretti, are facing charges of manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence, and arson by negligence. Additionally, criminal proceedings have been initiated against the municipality’s head of public safety and a former council fire safety inspector, following reports that the establishment had not undergone safety inspections for five years.
