Paolo, the hero who prevented (even) more deaths in the New Year’s Eve tragedy in Switzerland

Paolo Campolo received a phone call, went to the bar and immediately started saving people. He’s in the hospital.

It was the news that shook Switzerland and the world in the early hours of this year: 40 people died and more than 100 were injured in a bar in the ski resort of Crans Montana, Switzerland.

Witnesses saw a bar employee carrying an employee on his shoulders – while holding one in a bottle. The flames spread, collapsing the wooden roof. The fire led to a desperate attempt to escape.

In the midst of so many escapes, a hero: Paolo Campoloco-founder and CEO of the asset management company .

The 55-year-old mechanical engineer received a call from his partner’s daughter. It was 1:20 am on January 1st. He immediately went to the place – where saved young people. He knows that ski resort well and, as soon as he arrived, he started remove people through the main entrance.

Paolo also went to the exit of the rear and saw people scream because they were dams. “There were people desperate behind that door.” They broke down the door and rescued the people.

“It wasn’t easy to get in, just one or two meters from the door, we started grabbing people and dragging them out”, he comments, in .

He and other rescuers, together, removed at least 20 people from the fire in those distressing minutes.

The son, Gianni Campolo, added that his father looked for an emergency exit to evacuate the people trapped in the room, but found only one door.

“It is not known whether it was an emergency exit or a service door, but it was certainly there was no security mechanism: it was a glass door, you could see inside, there were around 10 people glued to the glass, trying to get out, but they couldn’t because the door was stuck”, says Gianni.

This door was broken into and the father saved “more than 10 people”. Then they looked for other doors. “If another exit were openthere would have been,” he continues.

The partner’s daughter saved himself why arrived late to the party: “I have in my memory the image of many seriously burned people, many indeed”, especially those who had burns on their heads.

The president of the Calabria region, Roberto Occhiuto, highlighted this attitude: “When everything forced him to flee, Paolo Campolo made a rare choice: he stopped and helped the young people escape. Faced with the fire in Crans-Montana, he didn’t think about the weather, the smoke or the danger.”

Paolo, Roberto reports, “saw an emergency door that wouldn’t open and realized that there were people behind the door. With the help of another man, he forced it until it gave way.”

“Soon afterwards, the panic set in: burned and drunk young people passed out outside, screaming for help. Paolo didn’t just open that door; came and went several times. He dragged people out with his own hands, without protection, without stopping. And he continued as long as he could. In the end, 10 lives were saved thanks to him.”

Paolo is in hospital in Sion due to his injuries.

Meanwhile, Jacques and Jessica Moretti, owners from the bar, guaranteed this Tuesday that they would not “excuse” themselves in the context of the ongoing investigation. Assume as responsibilities, if that’s the point.

The investigation targets the couple for “negligent homicide, negligent bodily harm and negligent arson”.