The face of the tragedy that shocked the Swiss Alps on the first day of 2026 began to gain a name and history. The Italian Golf Federation confirmed this Friday (2) the death of Emanuele Galeppini, just 17 years old. He is the first formally identified victim of fire that devastated the bar The Constellationsin Crans-Montana.
Galeppini, considered one of the great promises of Italian sport, had been on the missing persons list since the early hours of Thursday. According to authorities, the young man's cell phone, found in the rubble of the bar, was key to his identification.
The toll worsens: 47 dead.
The situation in Crans-Montana is even more serious than initially anticipated. The Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio TajaniThe city council has updated the death toll to 47 — seven more than the previous count from local police.
Tajani is in Switzerland to oversee the care provided to the survivors. In total, 19 Italians are directly involved in the tragedy.
- 3 transferred to the Niguarda Hospital in Milan;
- 10 hospitalized in Switzerland (two in critical condition, not located);
- Six remain missing.
"Critical Condition": 100 injured fight for their lives.
The situation in the region's hospitals is dramatic. Of the 115 people injured, between 80 and 100 are in critical condition, according to Stéphane Ganzer, head of security for the Canton of Valais. The high number of patients with severe burns and without formal identification prevents families from receiving definitive news.
Just like in the case of the Kiss nightclub fire in Rio Grande do Sul.The misuse of pyrotechnics in an enclosed space is the central focus of the investigation. Witnesses reaffirmed that the fire started after candles attached to champagne bottles hit the ceiling.
Owners in shock
The bar owners, the French couple Jessica and Jacques Moretti, have spoken out through sources close to them. Jessica was at the scene and suffered burns on her arm, while her husband was working at another restaurant in the group.
The couple reported losing "several employees" in the fire. The establishment, founded in 2015 after renovations in an abandoned building, had a capacity of 300 people, but the occupancy at the time of the disaster is still being investigated.
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