the investigation and identification of victims continues | EUROtoday

The investigation and identification of victims will proceed on Friday after the fireplace which left round forty lifeless and greater than 100 injured in a bar within the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana throughout New Year’s Eve. The Italian ambassador to Switzerland, Gian Lorenzo Cornado, declared to Agence France-Presse that 47 folks had died, which the Swiss authorities haven’t but confirmed.

Significant sources are mobilized “to identify the victims and return their bodies to the families as quickly as possible”stated Béatrice Pilloud, the lawyer common of the canton of Valais, in southwestern Switzerland. “This work could take several days”specified the chief of the cantonal police, Frédéric Gisler. A disaster unit has been arrange within the Crans-Montana conference middle to obtain and information households.

Authorities didn’t say how many individuals have been lacking. The head of Italian diplomacy Antonio Tajani reported {that a} “fifteen Italians” had been injured, and as many have been nonetheless lacking.

The variety of folks current within the bar, with a capability of at the very least 300 people in response to its web site, stays unknown. According to a number of witnesses, the basement of the institution the place the fireplace broke out is barely linked to the bottom flooring by a staircase, which some have described as ” narrow “. But the cantonal authorities haven’t confirmed this. “As for the narrowness of the staircase, I saw the staircase. I also noticed on site, what is a narrow staircase, in fact, finally? »reacted on Thursday, Ms. Pilloud.

“The investigation will also be there to determine if all the safety standards were respected or if this is not the case”she continued, specifying that it was “too early” to touch upon the conformity of the emergency exits and extra typically of the premises, and whether or not the mandatory steps had been taken earlier than organizing this night.

In addition, the bar’s clientele is normally younger, some marvel in regards to the doable presence of minors on the time of the tragedy. “You can imagine that on a New Year’s Eve night, in a resort, the population is probably quite young. From there to talk about minors I will not go further, but in fact it is a festive population, therefore young”declared the State Councilor (regional minister) of Valais in control of safety, Stéphane Ganzer.