The first victim of a fire that engulfed a crowded bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana on New Year's Eve has been named as Emanuele Galepini, a talented young Italian golfer, the British newspaper The Guardian reported today.
In a post on its website, the Italian Golf Federation paid tribute to "a young athlete who embodied passion and authentic values."
Although numerous media outlets have reported this news, authorities have not yet confirmed the identities of any of the victims.
Investigators began the process of identifying victims of a fire that ravaged a bar in Crans-Montana on Friday, turning a New Year's Eve celebration into one of the worst tragedies in the country's history.
It is not yet clear what caused the fire at the "Le Constellation" bar, which killed about 40 people and injured about 115, many of them seriously - but eyewitnesses described scenes of panic and chaos, as people tried to break windows to escape and others, covered in burns, ran out into the street.
Swiss police have warned that identifying all the victims could take days or even weeks, leaving families and friends in the agony of uncertain waiting.
Authorities refused to speculate on the causes of the tragedy, stating only that it was not an attack.
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