The first three Italian victims officially identified in the tragedy on New Year’s Eve at the Constellation, the Crans-Montana disco bar transformed into a trap of flames and smoke, are all sixteen years old. They were called Giovanni Tamburi, Achille Barosi and Emanuele Galeppini. Their names, confirmed by the Italian ambassador to Switzerland Gian Lorenzo Cornado, mark a first, painful step in a story that continues to keep many in suspense.
The families of the three boys were informed in the last few hours, while the investigations continue complex procedures for identifying other victims. The fire, which broke out while the New Year was being celebrated in the restaurant, caused a dramatic toll: dozens of deaths and over a hundred injured, many of them very young.
Who were the Italian victims
Giovanni Tamburi, from Bologna, had initially been reported missing. A friend had said that he had lost sight of him during the frenetic escape from the club, when panic spread among those present and the air became unbreathable. The news of his death deeply affected Bologna, where the boy lived with his family and was known as a cheerful student, close to his friends and his city.
Achille Barosi, Milanese, he often found himself in Crans-Montana, where his family owns a house. According to witnesses, he was last seen around 1.30 am: he was returning to the room to retrieve his jacket and phone left inside. An instinctive gesture, common to many in those excited phases, which unfortunately proved fatal. Milan, in the last few hours, has gathered around its parents and schoolmates, in a silence full of pain.
Emanuele Galeppini, originally from Rapallo (Genoa) but resident in Dubai with his family, he was known for his great passion for golf. A promising talent, already appreciated in the sporting environment, and an avowed Genoa fan. The news of his passing reached not only Liguria, but also the sporting community that followed and encouraged him, shattering dreams and projects that had just begun.
Alongside the three names officially identified, confirmation of the death of was also received in the same hours Chiara Costanzo, sixteen-year-old from Milan, announced by the president of the Lombardy Region Attilio Fontana with a message of condolence. The girl was a friend of Achille Barosi and was with him in Crans-Montana to celebrate New Year’s Eve.
The pain for these broken young lives is intertwined with concern for the other Italians involved. The number of injured compatriots rises to fourteen, nine of whom have already been repatriated and hospitalized at the Niguarda hospital in Milan. Furthermore, two Italians still remain classified as missing, while the families’ anguish grows as the hours pass.
The investigations, launched by the prosecutor’s office of the Canton of Valais, will have to clarify the responsibilities and the safety conditions of the premises. But in the meantime, in the face of this massacre of young people, there remains silence, questions and a prayer that rises from the affected families.
