Mourning across Italy and Switzerland as families begin burying loved ones killed in ski resort bar fire
Across Italy, schools observed a minute’s silence in memory of the victims
Families have begun laying their loved ones to rest following the deadly New Year’s Eve fire at a bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana.
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Funeral services for six Italian teenagers who were among the 40 people killed in the blaze took place on Wednesday across Italy and Switzerland.
Achille Barosi and Chiara Costanzo, both 16, were buried in Milan, while Giovanni Tamburi and Riccardo Minghetti were remembered at separate ceremonies in Bologna and Rome.
The family of Emanuele Galeppini, a 17-year-old golf prodigy from Genoa, requested privacy and chose not to make public the details of his funeral.
Meanwhile, a service for Sofia Prosperi, who held both Italian and Swiss citizenship, was held in her hometown of Lugano.
Across Italy, schools observed a minute’s silence in memory of the victims.
Education Minister Giuseppe Valditara joined students at Milan’s Orsoline Di San Carlo school, which Achille Barosi attended, to pay tribute.
The teenagers were amongst those celebrating at the Le Constellation bar when a fire ripped through the venue in the early hours of 1 January.
Investigators believe the blaze was triggered when wait staff waved champagne bottles topped with sparklers too close to the ceiling, igniting the interior.
The fire spread rapidly, leaving at least 40 people dead and around 119 injured. Most of the injured are in their teens and twenties and suffered severe third-degree burns, according to police.
It comes as authorities revealed that the bar had not undergone any safety inspections, audits or formal checks for five years prior to the tragedy.
The building housing the bar was expanded in 2015 to include a covered outdoor terrace. While inspectors assessed the new exterior space at the time, changes made inside the venue were not examined.
Crans-Montana’s mayor, Nicolas Feraud, said he "regretted" the oversight and "accepts responsibility".
Swiss authorities confirmed on Saturday that the bar’s two managers are under investigation on suspicion of negligent homicide, negligent bodily harm and causing a fire through negligence.