FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
A father in Switzerland has described how a call from his daughter on New Year's Eve gave him the chance to save the lives of at least ten people when a deadly fire broke out at a ski resort in the Swiss Alps.
Paolo Campolo, 55, spoke to Italian newspaper Il Messaggero, explaining that his 17-year-old daughter's late arrival for the New Year's countdown at the Le Constellation bar in Crans Montana proved crucial in helping people trapped in the flames.
Speaking from a hospital in Sion, where he is being treated for serious breathing problems from smoke inhalation, the financial analyst said his daughter Paolina, who attends a high school in Geneva but was home for the holidays, was due to meet her boyfriend at the famous and luxurious club.
However, she was running late, having stopped for the first time at her father's house "to say hello, make a toast together and cut the panettone," the traditional Italian holiday cake.
"It was our fault that we were late, she should have been at the club by midnight. Today I can say without any exaggeration, this delay saved her life," he said.
Paolina did not have time to enter the bar, unlike her partner, who had already entered the bar.
While he was waiting for her at the entrance, a fire broke out. At around 1:20 a.m. (local time), the 17-year-old called her father asking for help. He, seeing the flames from his house, which is not far away, ran to the Le Constellation bar with his fire extinguisher.
Recalling that dawn, Paolo said that “the flames were no longer so high, but there was thick, black smoke everywhere. The burning was extremely fast and violent, lasting only a few minutes. Then it stopped. But there was no more oxygen inside. And that’s what caused the tragedy.” He also remembered seeing Paolina outside the building, “motionless” and “in shock,” waiting helplessly for her partner to emerge from the chaos.
“He was right behind the door. He managed to get out in front of her eyes. He was saved literally by a few seconds, but he is now in hospital in an extremely serious condition in Basel, with extensive burns,” Paolo said. “My daughter was saved thanks to an incredible chain of events. If it had happened a little earlier or a little later, the story would have been completely different.”
He added that, at the time, he believed the fire extinguisher he had with him "was useless," but tried to remain calm until the first rescue forces arrived.
His testimony is shocking.
He finally found an exit to help those who were trapped, "but it was blocked or locked from the inside."
"I managed to force my way in and that's how I managed to save ten young people. There were a lot of Italians there... Through the windows I could see legs and arms. Bodies lying on the floor," he said.
As he said, a stranger helped him break a window.
“All I can tell you is that some bodies fell on us. They were young, alive but burned. Some were conscious, others not. They were asking for help in different languages, including Italian,” Paolo said. “They were very young. This particular shop was a meeting point in Crans Montana and was visited mainly by minors. In front of me I saw many girls dressed in miniskirts and elegant blouses, who had suffered burns to their skin.”
Of the people he took out, he recalled that some were "drunk" and "alive but wounded, some seriously."
The thought that kept him strong: "It could have been my children."
In addition to the stranger who helped him, Paolo also expressed his gratitude to the local businesses and professionals in the community who immediately mobilized to help.
Lini një Përgjigje