A fire in a bar in the swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana has left 40 people dead and numerous others seriously injured, prompting Switzerland to request international assistance in victim care.
European Effort to Treat Victims
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The treatment of those injured in the disaster,many with severe burns,smoke inhalation,bruises,and broken bones from the crowd,is becoming a notable European undertaking. Victims have been distributed to specialized hospitals in Switzerland, Italy, France, and Poland.
Austria offered Assistance, Transfers Paused
In coordination with the Graz University hospital – specifically Prof. Dr. Lars-Peter Kamolz, head of the University Clinic for Surgery and a burns medicine expert – Styria registered its capacity to care for victims through the Federal Ministry of the Interior. Initially, six burn victims were slated for treatment in Austria; however, the planned transfer for Saturday has been temporarily suspended.
According to the Interior Ministry,two patients no longer require intensive care,while the other four requested to be transferred to their home countries,France and Belgium.
“Solidarity is a Given”
Despite the paused transfers, the offer of help from Graz remains firm, according to State Health Councilor Karlheinz Kornhäusl (ÖVP). “The news of the fire catastrophe in Crans-Montana shocks us all. Since our university clinic in Graz is also a center for the care of burn victims, we did not hesitate for a moment and offered our help in caring for the victims. Solidarity is a matter of course for us in Styria. I am very grateful to the team at the university clinic that we are once again able to offer internationally competent help.”
