The first victim of the Swiss ski resort fire, which ravaged a bustling bar during New Year's celebrations, has been identified as 17-year-old golf player Emanuele Galeppini. The Italian Golf Federation confirmed his death, praising him as a passionate and valued young athlete. Galeppini, based in Dubai, was considered a promising talent. The fire, which broke out at Le Constellation lounge bar in Crans-Montana, southwestern Switzerland, around 1:30 am, claimed the lives of approximately 40 people, with over 115 injured, including a significant number in critical condition. Many of the victims are believed to be teenagers and young adults. The resort, popular with tourists, was packed with people from various countries when the fire started, with French and Italian citizens among the victims, as confirmed by their respective foreign ministries. Authorities are working diligently to identify the deceased, but the process could take several days. The investigation is ongoing, with police ruling out a terror attack and treating the tragedy as a fire. Questions regarding the bar's capacity and the cause of the fire are being investigated, with no suspects identified yet. A witness account suggests a barmaid holding a lit candle in a bottle may have ignited the wooden ceiling, while another witness described chaotic scenes of people breaking windows to escape, some gravely injured, and panicked parents rushing to the scene. Axel Clavier, 16, managed to escape, but two or three of his friends remain missing.
