LIFE CUT SHORT

First Victim in Fatal New Year’s Eve Bar Blaze Identified

A teenage athlete is thought to have died in the inferno.

A 17-year-old international golfer is the first victim to be identified in a fatal New Year’s Eve bar fire in Switzerland, according to reports. Emanuele Galeppini is thought to be one of roughly 40 people killed when a blaze ripped through a basement bar in the ski resort of Crans-Montana. The Italian Golf Federation paid tribute to the Dubai resident, saying it “mourns the passing of Emanuele Galeppini, a young athlete who carried with him passion and genuine values,” Reuters reported. More than 100 people were injured in the blaze at Le Constellation, with many still missing. Authorities say identification could take some time due to the severity of the burns victims suffered. A number of people inside the bar are thought to have been Italian, with the country’s ambassador to Switzerland, Gian Lorenzo Cornado, saying six of his compatriots are still unaccounted for, with 13 in the hospital. The Italian Foreign Ministry has not confirmed that Galeppini is among the dead, according to the BBC, but local media report his father said he was at the bar and had last been in contact at midnight. The Daily Beast has contacted the ministry for clarification.