Daily London
New year celebrations turned to tragedy in the early hours of Thursday morning as the blaze tore through a packed Le Constellation bar in the upscale ski resort Crans-Montana, killing dozens and injuring more than 100 others.
The Swiss president said it was one of the country’s worst tragedies. An Australian is among those injured.
Emanuele Galeppini, a 17-year-old Italian golfer, has been named as one of the people who died, according to a spokesperson for the Italian foreign ministry and the Italian Golf Federation.
The golf federation paid tribute to the teenage golf star, describing him as “a young athlete who embodied passion and authentic values”.
“In this moment of great sorrow, our thoughts go out to his family and all those who loved him. Emanuele, you will remain in our hearts forever,” the federation said in a statement.
Galeppini lived in Dubai and had competed in 50 international golf events, according to the World Amateur Golf Ranking, including the Italian National U18 Team Championship.
‘Chaos’ and ‘war’, death toll could rise
Valais security director Stéphane Ganzer has talked of scenes of “chaos” and “war” at the ski resort bar.
Speaking to French radio network RTL, Ganzer said that young people who had come to have fun found themselves “becoming improvised first responders, having to perform CPR or help people who are completely burned”.
He said between 80 and 100 victims likely remain in a “truly critical condition” in hospital a day after the fire. Ganzer added that the death toll could rise, citing a risk of sepsis of victims who sustained severe burns in the tragedy.
“As you may know, when an adult has approximately 15 per cent of their body surface area burned to the third degree, there is a risk of death in the hours and days that follow, as sepsis can spread throughout the body,” he said.
“So it is true that this is a terrible situation that may be getting worse as we speak.”
Australian among the injured
Authorities in Australia, France and Italy have confirmed their nationals are among the victims of the fire.
Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it was “providing consular assistance to the family of an Australian that has been injured and is receiving medical care following the fire”.
It’s not known exactly where the Australian is being treated, with hospitals being
The French foreign ministry said nine citizens were hurt.
Italy’s foreign ministry reported that 15 nationals are in hospital.
Exclusive resort town reeling
The streets of Crans-Montana are awash with grief as residents, still in shock, weep in the aftermath of the fire.
“The entire town is still in shock,” journalist Sandro Zulian of Swiss news outlet Blick told CNN.
“I’ve seen people crying yesterday, I’ve seen people sobbing. It’s really not a very nice thing to look at the moment here in Crans-Montana.”
The most pressing questions from relatives of those missing would be on the identities of the victims, Zulian said.
Evidence suggests the bar may have been overcrowded with as many as 200 people inside, including teenagers as young as 15, he added, pointing to pictures and videos from inside the venue.
Zulian said it is still too early to tell who the victims are in what he described as “one of the biggest rescue operations in Swiss history”.
