Tragedy in Switzerland, during a New Year's Eve party in the famous ski resort of Crans-Montana.
During the celebrations at the "Le Constellation" club (it appears there was a party with many young people, including minors), an explosion occurred, killing several people—about forty. According to local authorities, "at least 115" people were injured, with serious burns . The bodies were also burned and disfigured, making identification difficult.
In the afternoon, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani spoke of "around fifteen Italians injured in various hospitals" , while "an equal number of compatriots are reported missing" .
Three Italian patients were transferred this evening to Niguarda Hospital in Milan, where a major emergency response plan has already been activated. Authorities currently report among the injured a 16-year-old girl from Milan in a coma who is being treated at a hospital in Zurich .
"There was an explosion," said Gaëtan Lathion, a police spokesman for the canton of Valais in southwestern Switzerland. "There are several injuries and several deaths."
Around 8pm, the ambassador to Switzerland Gian Lorenzo Cornado said in a final update: «We have six Italians missing and thirteen hospitalised in various Swiss hospitals and in Milan at the Niguarda».
Initial reports indicated that one or more explosions were triggered in the basement of the club , which was then devastated by flames, with local authorities ruling out terrorist activity from the outset. The tragedy may have been caused by fireworks set off inside the club . According to the accounts of two young Frenchmen on the all-news TV station BFM, the flames originated from lit candles on champagne bottles , which set fire to the wooden ceiling. "One of the candles was held too close to the ceiling, which caught fire. Within a few dozen seconds, the entire ceiling was in flames. It was all made of wood," the two young women, Emma and Albane, said. They also spoke of a " door that was too small to allow the flow of people. Many broke the windows to escape ."
Ten helicopters, 40 ambulances, and 150 first responders were dispatched to the scene, and most of the injured were transferred to the Valais hospital and other local hospitals, where intensive care units are full. "People were arriving from everywhere, seriously injured people in cars, there was a burning smell... They all left their vehicles in the middle of the access ramp, blocking the exit," was the dramatic account of a woman who was in the waiting room at Sion hospital when the first injured people from Crans-Montana arrived.
Italian Ambassador Gian Lorenzo Cornado went to the scene to monitor the situation and spoke of " some compatriots of whom there is no news ." "Identification will take time," he added. "Unfortunately, the victims cannot be identified due to the severe burns they sustained."
Battista Medde, a seasonal worker from Oliena, also confirmed the presence of many Italians in the venue. "I was supposed to be there too," he said, "but I preferred another venue where admission was free, since La Constellation had an entrance fee."
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