A teenage golf prodigy killed in the Swiss New Year’s Eve fire catastrophe had no burns on his body, it has emerged.
Emanuele Galeppini was one of 40 people who died in the Crans-Montana bar blaze in the early hours of 1 January.
The 16-year-old’s body was returned without a cause of death listed on the certificate, leaving his distraught family in turmoil.
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It has since emerged Emanuele’s body was mysteriously untouched by the inferno in the Alps, which is believed to have reached temperatures of up to 600C.
“His body was completely intact, with no burns,” his family said through their lawyer, Alessandro Vaccaro. “Not even his mobile phone or wallet were damaged.”
The discovery has raised haunting questions about whether Emanuele was even inside the affected bar, Le Constellation, when the fire broke out.
“We don’t even know if he was inside the bar or outside, or whether he died from gas or something else,” Vaccaro said.
The lawyer is now demanding answers over why the six Italian victims were repatriated without autopsies.
He also questioned why Emanuele’s body had to be identified by DNA given the circumstances.
His parents endured days of agony waiting for the results, as reported by Need To Know.
“Why was a DNA test necessary if the body was intact and showed no burns?” Vaccaro asked. “Why wasn’t he identified immediately, when his mother and father were desperately going from hospital to hospital looking for him?”
So far, Swiss authorities have provided no explanations, despite repeated requests.
Emanuele’s funeral was held in Genoa yesterday (8 Jan).
His family is now considering pushing for an Italian investigation into his death.
“We just want the truth,” they said. “We need to understand where, when and how he died on that tragic New Year’s night in Crans-Montana.”
Emanuele lived in Dubai and competed across Europe and the Middle East.
In 2023, he finished third at the English U14 Reid Trophy and the Italian National U14 Closed Championships, marking him out as one of golf’s rising young stars.
It is believed the New Year’s blaze at the bar was started in the basement, when sparklers on champagne bottles were carried too close to the ceiling.
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