Switzerland to pay medical costs of Italian Crans-Montana fire victims

Key facts

• Switzerland waived its claim for reimbursement of 1.5 million Swiss francs ($1.9 million) in treatment costs for Italian victims.
• Meloni said of the decision: "no burden will fall on the families or on Italy."
• Switzerland said the waiver followed the principle of reciprocity and recognized solidarity shown to it by Italy and other countries.
• Under a Switzerland-EU agreement, countries usually pay for their own insured citizens treated abroad; one Swiss-insured patient was treated in Italy.

Switzerland said on November 4, 2026 that it will pay the medical costs of Italian victims of the Crans-Montana fire, dropping an earlier demand that Rome reimburse it. The initial demand had been described by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni as "disgraceful".

Forty-one people were killed and 115 injured when a fire ripped through a crowded bar during a New Year's Eve party in the Swiss ski resort. Twelve Italian victims were treated in Switzerland in the first weeks of 2026 before being moved to hospitals in Italy.

Meloni welcomed the Swiss decision to cover 1.5 million Swiss francs ($1.9 million) of medical costs. "I am pleased with this solution: no burden will fall on the families or on Italy," she said in a statement. She added that her thoughts went to the families of the victims and of the injured young people.

Under an agreement between Switzerland and the European Union, countries usually pay for their own insured citizens when they are treated abroad. One Swiss-insured patient was treated in Italy.

The Swiss government said it was aware of the suffering weighing on the families of the victims and on all those affected. It said the decision to waive reimbursement was in line with the principle of reciprocity and recognized the solidarity shown to Switzerland, citing help received from Italy and other countries.