Switzerland mourns New Year tragedy

As Switzerland observed a day of mourning on Friday, President Guy Parmelin expressed his condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims and survivors of the fire disaster during a New Year's Eve party in a bar in the ski resort of Crans-Montana. 'We owe the affected individuals, families and relatives respect, remembrance — and the obligation to do everything to ensure that such a disaster does not happen again', he wrote in an open letter. — dpa