Benjamin Johnson was hailed a hero by the Swiss Boxing federation. Photo / swissboxingfederation via Instagram
A young boxer died trying to save his friend from the fire that engulfed a Swiss bar on New Year’s Eve.
Benjamin Johnson, 18, a member of the Lausanne Boxing Club, was hailed a hero by the Swiss Boxing federation.
“This final act of selflessness perfectly reflects his nature: he was someone who always helped others,” said Amir Orfia, the president of Swiss Boxing.
“Having watched him grow up, first when I was in the ring myself, then as a coach, I will remember him as a young man who was always positive, smiling, and respectful. He was always the first to support his teammates, especially his friends.”
Police have so far identified 24 of the 40 killed, the youngest a Swiss girl of 14. Another 119 were injured.
The latest victims to be identified include 10 Swiss and three Italians, as well as Romanian, Turkish and French nationals.
Ten of the 16 victims identified on Sunday were under the age of 18, meaning a total of 12 children have so far been confirmed dead.
In addition to the Swiss official tally, Antonio Tajani, Italy’s deputy prime minister, confirmed on Sunday that another three Italians were among the victims and their bodies would be flown home on a “state flight”.
In another tale of heroism, Tahirys Dos Santos, a French football player was seriously injured in the fire after he went to rescue his girlfriend, Coline, who was trapped inside the Constellation bar in Crans-Montana.
Originally from Mont-Saint-Martin, the 19-year-old who plays for Metz, suffered severe burns to his body and was transferred from Switzerland to Germany by air ambulance.
His French club said it was saddened to hear the news and was working to have him transferred to a hospital closer to home as soon as possible.
“Deeply affected by this news, the club’s management, players, coaches, and employees are in shock and are sending their thoughts to Tahirys as he battles his injuries,” the club said in a statement on Facebook.
Christophe Hutteau, Dos Santos’ agent, told BFM TV that the footballer had fled the bar but returned when he realised his girlfriend was trapped inside.
“He went back in to rescue her from the flames. He’s not only a victim, he’s a hero,” he said.
Chiara Costanzo, a 16-year-old student from Milan, and 15-year-old Sofia Prosperi, who has Italian and Swiss citizenship were among the victims named on Sunday.
Camilla Costanzo, Chiara’s elder sister, said her family was overwhelmed when they received the news.
“I have no words to describe it,” Costanzo, 29, told The Telegraph. “We are just devastated.”
Costanzo, a consultant based in Zurich, said she had contacted the emergency hotline and had called seven different Swiss hospitals in search of her sister in the days after the fire. Her father, Andrea, previously shared his anguish with the media saying his daughter had ended up at the bar by chance.
Fighting back tears, Costanzo questioned how it could have happened in Switzerland, which has a reputation for strictly enforcing regulations.
“This type of stuff never happens in Switzerland, everybody follows the rules,” she said. “It should never have happened.”
Three of the Italian victims have since been named as Achille Barosi, 16, from Milan, Giovanni Tamburi, 16, from Bologna, and Emanuele Galeppini, a 17-year-old golfer from Genoa who had dual citizenship and lived in Dubai.
Hundreds of people gathered in Crans-Montana on Sunday morning for a memorial Mass and silent march to honour the dead and injured.
At the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV expressed his sympathy for the victims after his weekly Angelus blessing in St Peter’s Square.
“I wish to express once again my closeness to all those who are suffering as a result of the tragedy in Switzerland,” he said. “I assure you of my prayers for the young people who have died, for the injured, and for their families.”
Laetitia Brodard-Sitre remembered her 16-year-old son, Arthur Brodard, with a Facebook tribute on Saturday. After days of searching, she posted a photo of him saying, “Our Arthur has now left to party in heaven.”
None of the victims have been officially named by Swiss police who are working to identify “all victims, both deceased and injured”.
Swiss authorities have opened an investigation into the managers of Le Constellation bar, French couple Jacques and Jessica Moretti, where the tragedy unfolded.
French newspaper Le Parisien reported that Moretti had a criminal record and had served a jail term in Savoie in 2005.
The newspaper claimed he was linked to prostitution cases dating back 20 years, but had also been associated with a kidnapping and false imprisonment case about 30 years ago.
He was sentenced to two years in prison for fraud, according to the daily.
Moretti and his wife are suspected of negligent homicide, negligent bodily harm and causing fire by negligence, police said on Saturday.
As Swiss prosecutors continue to investigate the New Year’s Eve fire that killed 40 and injured 119 others, police said there was no need to detain the two bar managers accused of manslaughter, negligent bodily harm and negligent arson.
“There is no suspicion that the defendants wish to evade criminal proceedings or the foreseeable penalty by fleeing,” police from Valais canton said late on Sunday.
The probable cause of the fire during the New Year’s celebrations was sparklers on bottles being carried too close to the ceiling, a preliminary investigation found.
Images and videos have been circulated widely on social media showing people inside the club carrying sparklers inside champagne bottles.
Witnesses have told police the fire ignited and spread very quickly, and that the sparklers may have been responsible.
“They are designed to be placed on the ground, fixed in the ground or on a support, or held in the hand,” police said.
Investigators also plan to look into whether the bar complied with local construction laws, provided adequate emergency routes and complied with fire safety standards.
They said that the investigation was opened on Friday night, but did not give further details.
They will examine whether sound-dampening material on the ceiling conformed with regulations and if the candles were permitted for use in the bar.
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