Beloved foundation receives 70 applications after Crans-Montana fire

The Beloved foundation has received about 70 applications for assistance from people affected by the fire disaster in Crans-Montana, SRF reported Sunday. Some applications have already been approved, while others are still under review, foundation director Christian Cardon said.

The foundation currently has a budget of 24 million Swiss francs. No applications have been rejected so far, Cardon said in an interview published by Le Matin Dimanche. Several tens of thousands of francs have already been transferred.

Beloved was established on March 27 on the initiative of the canton of Valais to support victims of the fire at the Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana. The disaster killed 41 people and injured 115.

The foundation supports measures intended to aid victims’ rehabilitation and reintegration, said former federal councillor Doris Leuthard, the foundation’s president. Its work focuses on education, psychological care and financial assistance for families in need.

Young people have particularly approached the foundation for help with vocational retraining, Cardon said. Beloved also supports projects initiated by victims’ relatives or by people who have experienced financial difficulties since the tragedy.

The foundation does not duplicate benefits provided under Switzerland’s federal victims’ assistance law, Cardon said. Instead, it intervenes where gaps remain.

Despite its budget, Beloved is seeking additional funding. The need will continue to develop and persist in the long term, Leuthard said. Cardon added that further resources would be needed to continue the foundation’s work for several years because of the disaster’s psychological and physical consequences.