Crans-Montana fire: victims' funerals held in Milan, Rome and Bologna

The funerals of five of the six Italian victims of the New Year's Eve tragedy in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, were held on Wednesday across Bologna, Milan and Rome

The funerals of Riccardo Minghetti and Giovanni Tamburi were held in Rome and Bologna, while the funerals of Achille Barosi and Chiara Costanzo were held in Milan in the afternoon. Italian media reported that the funeral of Sofia Prosperi, the youngest victim of the fire, will be held in Lugano, and that of Emanuele Galeppini will take place in Genoa on Thursday.

Italian schools observed a minute's silence in memory of the victims, while the institutes attended by the teenagers who lost their lives suspended classes to "remember the young victims and express closeness to their families," according to Education and Merit Minister Giuseppe Valditara.

"Italy has shown truly remarkable humanity and sensitivity, but now it is time to show professionalism and efficiency and uncover everything," said Chiara's father, Andrea Costanzo, on the sidelines of his daughter's funeral in the Basilica of Santa Maria delle Grazie.

"We have been embraced by the whole of Italy; we all thirst for truth and that these things never happen again," Costanzo added.

For one of the victim's friends, present at the last farewell at the Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio, it was a very sad loss.

"It's not the fault of those who were celebrating New Year's Eve if the club caught fire," Corriere della Sera said in tears.

"While I was here and had a fun evening, they were dying. It's not right that they died because the club was not up to standard," she said.

On Wednesday morning, a crowd gathered around the family of 16-year-old Riccardo Minghetti, who died in the fire that broke out in the Le Constellation nightclub in Crans-Montana. The coffin arrived at the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, packed with his family, friends and colleagues.

Around 600 people attended the service, including the mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri.

A sign in the church read, 'Riccardo lives on in all of us,' while at the entrance to the basilica, two wreaths of flowers were laid, one by the Order of Engineers of the Province of Rome, the other by his class, the II F of the Cannizzaro Scientific High School.

In Bologna, St. Peter's Cathedral was also packed for the funeral of 16-year-old Giovanni Tamburi. Family, friends and classmates from the Righi high school, which Giovanni attended, gathered in memory of the boy who, like Riccardo, lost his life in the fire at Crans-Montana.

Also present at the service were University Minister Anna Maria Bernini, Culture Undersecretary Lucia Borgonzoni, Emilia-Romagna President Michele de Pascale and Bologna Mayor Matteo Lepore.

"You were beautiful outside and inside. You will always be the centre of our lives. I will always love you. Your values and principles at your age made you unique. On 1 January, you lost your life, and I died with you. Thank you for the 16 wonderful years you gave us."

With these words and a voice broken with tears, Giovanni's father paid tribute to his son.

In the afternoon, the funerals of the two 16-year-olds were held in Milan — Achille Barosi, in the basilica of Sant'Ambrogio, and his friend Chiara Costanzo, in Santa Maria delle Grazie.

Milan mayor Giuseppe Sala, together with regional councillor Gianluca Comazzi and minister Valditara, attended Chiara's funeral, and Lombardy governor Attilio Fontana attended Achille's.

Students at the Moreschi Institute in Milan had a day of commemoration for their companion and friend Chiara. A the Orsoline Institute in San Carlo, attended by Achille, Minister Valditara took part in the minute's silence.

The funeral of Sofia Prosperi, 15, will instead be celebrated in Lugano by Bishop Alain de Reamy in the cathedral of San Lorenzo. "We would like to appeal to the media, in particular from Ticino and Italy, to ensure the utmost respect for the mourning and condolences that affect the family, friends and all those close to the victim," wrote Sofia's father, Matteo Prosperi.

The funeral of the sixth victim, 17-year-old Emanuele Galeppini, will take place on Thursday, probably privately, in a church yet to be identified.

On Friday, a commemoration in memory of the 40 victims in Switzerland will take place, which will also be attended by the President of the Republic, Sergio Mattarella and the French President, Emmanuel Macron.