Crans-Montana massacre: 6 Italians are still missing in the fire (and it will take days to identify the victims)

New Year’s Eve turned into a nightmare in the Alpine resort of Crans-Montana, Switzerland, where a devastating fire followed by explosions hit the Le Constellation bar-pub, crowded for the celebrations. The official toll speaks of at least 47 victims and over 110 injured, many of whom are in very serious conditions. Among the people involved there are numerous Italians, mostly very young, present in the renowned ski resort for their holidays.

The Italians involved and the rescue machine

According to updates from the authorities and the Farnesina, 6 Italians are missing and 13 hospitalized, some transferred to specialized centers for major burns, including the Niguarda hospital in Milan. Five of the injured Italians have serious burns, while others are hospitalized in Swiss facilities, such as Sion and Zurich. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani followed the evolution of the situation step by step, while the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and the Swiss authorities.

The victims and the missing: names and stories

Among the missing Italians are Giovanni Tamburi, Chiara Costanzo, Emanuele Galeppini, Achille Barosi, Riccardo Minghetti and Giuliano Biasini. The families, many of whom rushed to the scene or gathered in the reception center set up by the authorities, are experiencing hours of anguish, in the hope that their loved ones are among the injured who have not yet been identified. The appeals of Giovanni and Emanuele’s parents were dramatic, having gone viral in the last few hours.

The first 3 Italians arrived by helicopter. A 29-year-old girl, two 16-year-old Milanese boys, are intubated, have burns on 30-40% of their bodies based on the indications we received from Sion hospital. – said the regional councilor for Welfare Guido Bertolaso ​​– The Niguarda burns center is ready with 18 beds. We are ready to take on people of all nationalities, as we told the Swiss Government through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This is the structure where we can guarantee the best assistance.

Among the Italian wounded are, among others, Alessandra Galli De Min, Manfredi Marcucci, Francesca Nota, Chian Kaiser Talingdan, Eleonora Palmieri, Leonardo Bove, Antonio Lucia, Filippo Leone Grassi, Giuseppe Gioia, Elsa Rubbino, Gregorio Esposito and Sofia Donadio. Some of them are fighting between life and death, hospitalized in intensive care.

What we know about the causes of the fire: what flashover is and why it is so deadly

The investigations are still ongoing, but the authorities of the Canton of Valais, cited by the Keystone-ATS agency, have provided a first technical reconstruction of the incident. A flashover would have occurred inside the room, an extremely dangerous phenomenon typical of fires in closed environments. The flashover reportedly triggered one or more explosions, causing the situation to immediately spiral out of control.

The term flashover indicates the sudden transition from a limited fire to a generalized fire. The fire can start, for example, from an appliance or from a specific point in the room. The heat, accumulating under the ceiling, causes the combustion gases to spread, causing the temperature to rise to several hundred degrees in a few moments.

When this critical level is reached, all combustible materials in the environment can ignite simultaneously, generating rapid flame spread. In these conditions, survival becomes almost impossible and the risk is very high even for the firefighters, who find themselves operating in a highly unstable scenario.

A crowded room, panic and the lack of an escape route

The explosion and fire in the Le Constellation bar, capable of hosting up to 400 people, sparked panic, with desperate attempts to escape in an environment saturated with smoke, heat and flames. Many victims would have been surprised by the speed of the event, without having the material time to reach safety.

From the testimonies of the survivors, a crucial detail emerges in the dynamics of the tragedy: inside the bar there seems to have been only one real escape route, but everything is yet to be ascertained. From the upper floor, where many of the boys were, one could only go down via a wooden staircase that led to the ground floor. In front of the staircase there was a French window, which according to what several witnesses reported was locked at the time of the fire.

This left the main entrance door, reachable via a small staircase, as the only exit option, just as the room was rapidly being invaded by flames, smoke and extreme temperatures. A configuration that, in a few seconds, turned into a death trap.

Another element under examination concerns the structure of the building, made almost entirely of wood. According to regulations, the material should have been treated with fireproof substances capable of slowing the spread of fire. However, in light of what happened, it is clear that this protection did not work or was not adequate.

It will take days for identification

Hours later, the identification of the bodies has not yet been completed and could take days, given the severity of the conditions. Meanwhile, Crans-Montana and the whole of Italy remain suspended between pain and hope. The institutions guaranteed psychological assistance, medical support and maximum collaboration between Swiss and Italian authorities to shed full light on one of the most serious tragedies that occurred in an Alpine tourist resort.

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