On New Year’s Eve, in Crans Montana, Paolo Campolo, an Italian citizen, performed a gesture that can only be described as extraordinary.
When the flames started to devour the place, Paolo didn’t hesitate even for a moment. He rushed towards the building and reached the emergency door, discovering to his horror that it was locked. With the help of another man, he desperately tried to take her down. After repeated efforts, they finally managed to break through, and at that moment dozens of panicked boys literally collapsed on top of them.
Paolo says he saw feet and hands through the glass, bodies on the ground. When he and a stranger managed to open the door, several bodies fell on him. They were alive but burned boys, some conscious and some not, who begged him for help. Many of them were Italian.
Among the victims was also his daughter’s boyfriend, who only due to a last-minute mishap was not in the club that evening.
Without thinking twice, Paolo entered the hell of the fire, putting his life at risk. With his bare hands he pulled the boys out one after the other. They were alive but badly burned and intoxicated, they continued to scream. Paolo thought only one thing: they could be my children.
For several interminable minutes, Paolo continued to go back and forth, determined to save as many lives as possible. In the end, his courage saved ten people: ten young lives who would be among the tragic death toll today if it had not been for his heroic act.
Paolo is currently hospitalized in Sion hospital due to burns and wounds sustained during the rescue. Fortunately, his condition does not cause concern. Her daughter’s boyfriend, however, remains in very serious conditions.
