Lombardy civil claimant in Crans-Montana fire probe
The Italian region of Lombardy is acting as a civil claimant in the proceedings relating to the Crans-Montana fire disaster in Switzerland.
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Lombardy civil claimant in Crans-Montana fire probe
Paolo Bernasconi, a member of the Ticino Bar Association, has been appointed to represent Lombardy.
Accordingly, the regional government, based in Milan, adopted a resolution – on the proposal of President Attilio Fontana – to act as a civil claimant. The tragic incident in Crans-Montana in canton Valais had resulted in the deaths and serious injuries of several citizens of Lombardy. The news agencies Adn-Kronos and Ansa were the first to report on this.
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Italy had already submitted an application to be admitted as a civil claimant at the end of April. Rome justified this move on the grounds of the “direct damage” inflicted on the Italian state and the “substantial” resources expended on providing medical, psychological and logistical support to the Italian nationals affected.
The fire at the Le Constellation bar on New Year’s Eve claimed the lives of 41 people and left 115 injured, some seriously.
The fire caused direct and tangible damage to the Lombardy region, according to the Milan-based authority in its statement on Monday evening.
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This damage is evident both on a social level, given the young age of the victims, and from an economic and institutional perspective, due to the massive and immediate logistical and financial burden that the region’s public institutions had to cope with.
The civil action therefore has two objectives: to assist in establishing criminal liability and the sequence of events leading to the disaster, and to secure full compensation for the financial losses (costs of medical care, transport and nursing care) and non-pecuniary damages suffered by Lombardy.
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Translated from German, reviewed by an English Department journalist.
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