President Nicusor Dan extended on Thursday condolences to the Swiss people following the New Year's Eve fire that killed dozens in the Crans-Montana ski resort.
In a message posted on X, the head of the state expressed his deep sorrow at learning, at the beginning of the new year, about the blaze which left many dead and injured, agerpres reports.
"At the start of the new year, I was deeply saddened to learn of the explosion and ensuing fire in Crans-Montana that claimed many lives and left others injured. I wish a speedy recovery to the injured and extend my heartfelt condolences to the victims' families, the people of Switzerland, and President Guy Parmelin," Nicusor Dan wrote.
***
The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed that the procedures to identify the people affected by the explosion in the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana are underway and so far there have been no requests for consular assistance at the Embassy of Romania.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through the Romanian Embassy in the Swiss Confederation, has taken steps with the competent authorities in order to obtain official information regarding the citizenship, identity and health status of the affected persons.
A consul from the Romanian Embassy in Bern has traveled to the area, being prepared to provide consular assistance if the situation would require, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday.
***
The commander of the Valais cantonal police, Frederic Gisler, confirmed on Thursday in a press conference that "dozens were killed" in the fire that broke out in the early hours of the new year in a bar in the popular Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana, EFE informs.
The Italian Foreign Ministry stated that information from the Swiss police indicated approximately 40 deaths, but Gisler refrained from communicating a precise number, Reuters reports.
"Our count is about 100 injured, most seriously, and unfortunately tens of people are presumed dead," Gisler said, adding that patients had been dispatched to hospitals in Sion, Lausanne, Geneva and Zurich.
The head of security for the canton of Valais, Stephane Ganzer, said that citizens from other countries were also among the victims.
"The priority is on forensic work to identify the people who have died so that their bodies can be returned rapidly" to their families, said the attorney general of Valais canton, Beatrice Pilloud.
Valais police have ruled out an attack as the cause of the fire that broke out shortly after midnight.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said the fire could have been caused by fireworks. "It seems to have been an accident caused by a fire, an explosion, a firecracker thrown during the New Year's celebrations," he told Italian broadcaster Sky TG24.
According to a statement made to the Swiss daily 24 Heures by a young man who was inside the bar, "pyrotechnic devices placed on bottles ordered (by customers) in the nightclub may have sparked a fire on the ceiling" which "ignited very quickly", triggering scenes of panic, AFP reports.
The fire broke out after an explosion at around 01:30 local time (00:30 GMT) in the Le Constellation bar, which is very popular with tourists, at a time when people inside were celebrating the New Year.
Swiss authorities said that ten helicopters and 40 ambulances were deployed to attend the incident, Reuters reports.
Comentează