Emanuele Galeppini was the first victim to be named after a fire at the Crans-Montana ski resort in Switzerland left as many as 40 people dead and more than 100 injured
Emanuele Galeppini pictured with Rory McIlroy(Image: @emanuele.galeppini/Instagram)
A social media post of tragic golfer Emanuele Galeppini celebrating a ‘pic of the year’ with sporting hero Rory McIlroy from 2024 has emerged after the teenager lost his life during New Years celebrations in Switzerland this week.
Galeppini, a 17-year-old talent from Genoa, was the first casualty to be named after the Crans-Montana fire claimed the lives of more than 40 revellers. The Italian Golf Federation described the youngster as “A young athlete who embodied passion and authentic values.” The body added: “In this time of great sorrow, our thoughts go out to his family and all those who loved him.”
The young golfer’s father Edoardo had earlier told TgCom that the family had been waiting for updates after hearing from Emanuele. “I heard from him at midnight, but since then I haven’t had any contact with him,” he said.
“Unfortunately, he was at the Constellation celebrating New Year’s Eve with friends. When we heard about the explosion, we went there, but we haven’t found him yet.”
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Galeppini, who was based in Dubai, shared photos of his scorecards throughout the year as well as some action shots from tournaments. In March, he won a Faldo Series Under-16 tournament against best friend Thomas Buchard.
While Galeppini was the first of the victims to be named, many others are still missing. An Under-18s football team from the Swiss Canton of Vaud had a table booked at Le Constellation bar, where the fire took place.
“One of them is receiving treatment in a hospital, but three or four have not yet been heard from,” Stephane Bise, president of FC Lutry, told Swiss outlet Blick.
Candles lit by mourners after the Crans-Montana fire(Image: Harold Cunningham/Getty Images)
A further 115 were left injured after the fire, with Swiss investigators looking into the causes of the tragedy. Teenage footballer Tahirys dos Santos was among the injured, with his club – French outfit Metz – confirming he had been airlifted to hospital for further treatment.
“I can’t tell you that he’s doing well, because he’s suffering terribly. He has burns covering 30% of his body,” Dos Santos’ agent Christophe Hutteau told BFMTV.
Dos Santos, who made the bench for Metz’s Coupe de France game against Biesheim in December, is being treated in a specialized burns unit. “The positive point is that his respiratory capacity has greatly improved since yesterday morning, even though his lungs were affected.”
While the exact cause has yet to be determined, an emergency spokesperson said: “There were sparklers on all tables in Le Constellation, and people were celebrating the new year. Suddenly a fire broke out, and people tried to get out of the confined space, causing chaos.”
Mathias Renard, head of the regional government, told a press conference: “This evening should have been a moment of celebration and coming together, but it turned into a nightmare.”
