Night of anguish for some Italian families involved in the devastating fire that broke out in the early hours of New Year’s Eve Crans Montanain Switzerland. In the fire that struck the Constellation bar, crowded for an end-of-year party, there were also numerous Italian citizens: some have been identified and hospitalized, others are still missing.
The Farnesina and the work of the authorities
According to what was reported by the Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, «at the moment a dozen, fifteen Italians have been found in hospitals. Just as many are missing.” The minister then specified that the research concerns the whole 16 compatriots, reported as untraceable by the families who turned to the Farnesina crisis unit and the Italian embassy in Switzerland. “The families contacted the crisis unit and the embassy,” explained Tajani, underlining the complexity of the identification operations.
The night of the tragedy
The fire broke out around 1.30am on January 1st in the basement of the restaurant, located in the well-known ski resort in the canton of Valais. A New Year’s Eve party was taking place inside, attended by many young people, between 16 and 30 years old. The Swiss police have not yet released an official death toll, speaking generically of “dozens dead” and about a hundred injured, many of whom are in very serious conditions. According to the Swiss newspaper Blickthe deaths would be at least 47.
Some people leave flowers outside the “Le Constellation” bar in Crans-Montana where the devastating fire broke out
(REUTERS)
Difficult identifications, long times
The fate of the Italians involved remains uncertain in many cases. The Foreign Minister explained that “it is not easy to identify people because many did not have documents with them, have lost consciousness or are hospitalized in intensive care”. Precisely for this reason, recognition operations take time and take place in close coordination with the Swiss authorities.
Rescue and transfers to hospitals
The injured were transported by ambulance and helicopter to hospitals in Zurich, Geneva and Lausanne. In the evening, three Italians in particularly serious conditions due to burns will be transferred by helicopter to hospital Niguarda of Milan, to ease the pressure on Swiss healthcare facilities and guarantee specialist care.
Hypotheses on the causes
The cause of the fire was initially thought to be an explosion. The police later clarified that the explosion would have been a consequence of the fire and not the triggering cause. Two witnesses reported that the wooden ceiling caught fire from birthday candles lit on champagne bottles. The flames spread quickly, engulfing the basement within minutes. The presence of only one exit, too small for the large number of people, would have made escape extremely difficult, forcing some to break a window to try to save themselves.
The lead to the attack is excluded
During the first press conference, the general prosecutor of the canton of Valais, Beatrice Pilloud, he ruled out the possibility of an attack. The alarm was raised by some people who were in the street and noticed smoke coming out of the room. Help arrived within minutes, but the speed with which the fire developed had dramatic and devastating consequences.
A community affected, the pain of families
While the investigations and identification operations continue, attention remains focused on the fate of the Italians still missing and on assistance to the families, suspended between hope and pain. The Farnesina has ensured its maximum commitment to providing information and support, in a tragedy that tragically marked the start of the new year.
What happened
Crans-Montana is located on a plateau at around 1,500 meters above sea level, in the Swiss Alps. It is a location known above all for its approximately 140 kilometers of ski slopes, which reach 3,000 meters above sea level up to the Plaine Morte glacier. In an interview with Rai News 24, Cornado stated that the fire would have been caused by a firecracker fired at the false ceiling. Two witnesses told a different version, reporting that the flames would have started from some birthday candles lit by waiters on bottles of champagne just before midnight.
The Swiss newspaper 20 Minutes published a video showing the first flames developing at the bar counter. In another video, spread on social networks and posted by a user on
Firefighters were on the scene within minutes. several ambulances and some helicopters, including one from the Civil Protection of the Aosta Valley, to evacuate the wounded and transport them as quickly as possible to hospitals. The hospitalizations occurred in particular at the university hospital of Zurich, one of the two Swiss centers specialized in the treatment of large burns, and in facilities in Lausanne and Geneva.
