40 dead, over 100 seriously injured. This is the balance of the fire that broke out in Crans-Montana, a tourist village in the Swiss Alps. Today is a day of mourning in Switzerland. The Swiss press was reserved in the first days of the tragedy. It is not in the country’s tradition for criticism to be exercised in an offensive and high-pitched manner. But gradually the tone has begun to harden.
A major Zurich newspaper (“Tages Anzeiger”) suggests that the mayor of Crans-Montana resign. Another Zurich newspaper (“Neue Zürcher Zeitung”) does not directly criticize the victims (this is impossible), but emphasizes that we have become a society of entertainment that delegates responsibility for our lives elsewhere. In this context, the commentator asks the question: how is it possible for people to record the outbreak of the fire on their phones, and even continue to dance and not run away from this hell as quickly as possible? He writes: “Nor was it a generation bewildered by smartphones and social media that was entertained to death, as some older people claim to explain the inexplicable. Young people simply take over the values ??that society has served them. These values ??are hedonistic. Entertainment and consumption come first.”
Even more critical are the German media. In the new issue of ” Der Spiegel ” from Hamburg, it is ruthless. The canton of Valais – where the tragedy occurred – is described as notorious for corruption and nepotism.
Here are some details from the text of “Der Spiegel” written by 6 journalists. According to this magazine, not only in Crans-Montana, but throughout the country, people are asking themselves: How could this happen, right here? In a place of clocks, rules and order? This case also raises questions for the tourism industry, on which many mountain settlements depend. Who turns a blind eye so that they can build higher and higher, further and faster? Are similar disasters threatening other places?
The disaster occurred in a particular region of Switzerland, the canton of Wallis. An isolated region that has a reputation for being particularly prone to networks of nepotism and corruption, Der Spiegel writes.
A criminal investigation has been opened against the owners of the restaurant that burned down. But the municipality is also under criticism. The mayor, after the disaster, was involved in a controversy regarding fire protection.
Almost a million people flock to Crans-Montana every year. From a mountain village, Crans-Montana has transformed into a ski resort for luxury tourists, who are willing to pay thousands of euros a night for an unobstructed view of Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn. Crans-Montana ranks alongside exclusive winter sports centers such as St. Moritz, Gstaad and Zermatt.
A large part of the residents of Crans-Montana work in tourism. They manage bars and kiosks, cook in hotels or teach tourists how to ski. If you talk to them, you get the impression that it was only a matter of time before something happened.
No one wants to be quoted directly. But anonymously, gastronomes report on “mafia structures,” the fact that large parts of the city belong to a small group of owners, which includes not only Swiss or French, but also owners of various establishments from China, writes “Der Spiegel.” The cable cars in Crans-Montana, unlike in the canton of Graubünden, for example, belong to an American investor. One man says that businesses with big-name owners “have nothing to fear from the authorities.”
The canton of Valais has always been considered a place with its own rules. Valais is perceived so differently within Switzerland that a television series deals with its peculiarities. The crime comedy “Tschugger” plays with the clichés of Valais: corrupt policemen make deals with drug dealers, and international conspiracies reach even the most remote mountain village.
(Among the actors of the television series is Valmira, a Kosovar who wants to become a rapper. It is very clear that this fictional figure alludes to the rapper Loredana, who was accused of defrauding a Swiss woman from Wallis of thousands of francs. Meanwhile, the case has been closed, they have reconciled and come to an agreement outside of court to eliminate the problem between them. For this, Loredana has been applauded by many fans).