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Trump Threatens Iran Over Protest Crackdown; Iranian Officials Warn Against American Interference; Zohran Mamdani Sworn in As Mayor of New York; Officials Hold News Conference on Swiss Ski Resort Fire; Swiss Officials: Many Fire Victims Fighting for Their Lives. Aired 9-10a ET

Aired January 02, 2026 - 09:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[09:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: President Trump is talking in detail about his health, including the large bruises on his

hands. It's 09:00 a.m. in Washington. It's 02:00 p.m. in London. I'm Christina Macfarlane, welcome. This is "Connect the World".

Also coming up, a Swiss resort town is in shock, after 40 people are killed in a fire that swept through a bar during a New Year's party. And a new era

in New York are Democrats ready to embrace Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Stock market in New York opens in about 30 minutes from now.

It is the first day of trading of 2026. And it's looking like a good start to the year, all indices up in the green, the arrows there pointing up. And

we are awaiting the start of a news conference in Switzerland that could provide new information on that devastating fire at a resort tourist bar.

While investigators work to determine the exact cause, relatives of the victims face an agonizing wait for their loved ones' bodies to be

identified. There are also new videos that show the chaos and panic as the flames quickly spread through the bar and people rush to get out.

Fits you're about to see is disturbing. Officials say around 40 people killed and more than 100 injured, many of them severely, when flames swept

through the bar during a New Year's celebration. Here's how witnesses described the horrific scene.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everyone got together, everyone did what they could. All the nearby residences, restaurant, everyone who was still awake helped,

either with water, tea, blankets. It was a big shock, right? Everyone was very cold inside, and they come out suddenly, they're freezing

temperatures.

So, I think people were -- that was one of the biggest issues. Was the smoke, the fire, but also the temperature, extreme difference.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm in this station in the past 30 years already. And for my remembrance, I see the things like that for the first time. It is a

tragedy, because the majority, I imagine, of the people touched by this drama, they are the young people who came for the holidays here in the

mountains.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: Well, for now, investigators are not commenting on eyewitness accounts that the fire was started by sparklers placed in champagne

bottles. Earlier on CNN, Independent Fire Consultant Stephen Mackenzie, talked about the investigation and the next steps.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEPHEN MACKENZIE, INDEPENDENT FIRE CONSULTANT: The sparklers from the champagne bottles are highly likely is the primary hypothesis to be the

initiating event, the acoustic tiling. We can see images of that from various sources as well. We are aware of that from the station nightclub

fire in 2003 Rhode Island America, which led to 100 deaths and 230 injured.

Acoustic tiles were set far to buy on stage, pyrotechnics. It's a known issue. The material that ignited is almost like plastic petrol. That's why

we're seeing reports of many of the young people with a first, second, third and unfortunately, fourth degree burns. The material will have

flaming droplets.

We've seen that in the footage. It will rain down on those trying to evacuate as they're channeled into the basement level, narrow, single

staircase, we believe, fire exit. And then we just see the absolute non adaptive behavior and crowd crush scenario at the FISA, a final fire exit,

which is just adding to the almost carnage of this incident.

I'm just struggling for words to describe what we are seeing and what we anticipate now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: Nada Bashir has been following developments here in London. Joins me now. And Nada by now, we have seen these truly distressing images

of this fire engulfing the interior of the building. And we know that some of the victims, some of them were children, really as young as 15 or 16

years old.

What more do we know about the investigation underway at the moment and those victims?

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we've been hearing from officials saying that their focus at this stage continues to be on trying to identify

all of the victims. We know that 40 are presumed dead, some 115 others injured. There are still individuals impacted by this disaster who are

deemed missing, so they haven't been identified yet.

[09:05:00]

So, as you can imagine, there are families, parents still waiting for news of what has happened to their children, to their loved ones. Of course, it

is a very difficult process. Authorities have warned that may be a long process to fully identify all of the victims and the casualties.

We know that some of them are also foreign nationals. This was, of course, New Year's Eve. This was a big party for many celebrating the new year.

Many had gathered that this is a very popular ski resort as well. We know that there are French and Italian nationals among some of the victims as

well.

At this stage, it is still very early on in the investigation process, so we haven't had any firm answers just yet from officials with regards to the

cause of the fire. As we've just heard that there has been a lot of speculation around the possibility that sparklers may have caused the fire

and clearly engulfed the entire lounge bar.

And we've seen that video showing what appears to be the ceiling on fire initially, but this is we are, I mean, learning more and more tragic

details about how everything unfolded. There are questions around the health and safety and fire standards that were in place and whether they

were upheld.

That was something that officials touched on yesterday in their press conference, so that will be a key line of inquiry at this stage, though the

focus is very much on the victims and their families.

MACFARLANE: Yeah, and I mean part of the challenge here for families in, you know, understanding and identifying the victims is that they are

dispersed, right? Because Switzerland only had capacity to deal with a limited number of fire victims. So, speak to the operation underway at the

moment where these victims are placed, and how the international communities have responded to this.

BASHIR: Well, initially, we saw a huge response by the emergency services. Of course, this was a big undertaking. We're talking about some 150 medical

staff and personnel on the ground, but we've also heard of nearby residents, civilians taking part in that response effort.

We know that some of the injured have now been flown to neighboring countries, including France and Italy to receive treatment there. The

injured have been dispersed to a number of different hospitals across the area, many of them using air ambulances as well. Many are said to be badly

burned, so they are requiring specialist treatment and care.

And I mean, it's understandable now, given the videos that we've seen emerging, the very tragic and distressing, some more disturbing videos that

we have seen emerging how this fire unfolded. We have seen, of course, many people in those videos screaming, trying to get out in any way they can,

getting out via the staircase, which clearly was crowded.

We have seen people being trampled, people coming out via the windows. But of course, many were also trapped. So that fire, just to remind our

viewers, began at about 01:30 in the morning. Again, disturbing video, as you can see there, of that fire actually beginning, it seems from the video

at the ceiling before it quickly, the whole bar was engulfed.

In fact, officials have described it as a flash over, so very quick spread of this fire.

MACFARLANE: Yeah. What particular aspects will they be looking at them? We talked about this flash over just describe what that means, and also the

limited exit routes that were, at this venue?

BASHIR: Yeah. So, they are looking at this as being potential flash over incidents. So, we're talking about gasses rising to the ceiling, spreading

very quickly, and basically everything within this premises igniting and being set on fire. Very, very quickly, the entire room on fire.

So, you can imagine, for those inside who perhaps thought this might be a small, contained fire, as we saw in the video, at the ceiling, perhaps

waiting to see what might happen, whether it could be put out, were very quickly overcome by this enormous tragedy.

MACFARLANE: Yes.

BASHIR: We had mentioned yesterday from one official at a press conference of concerns around a very narrow staircase. We have been hearing from some

local residents who have also referred to this as having just one narrow staircase. Again, this might be a line of inquiry with regards to health

and safety standards being upheld.

But at this stage, there is no clarity just yet on what exactly investigators are looking at or pointing at as the cause.

MACFARLANE: Well, we might learn a bit more, as we are expecting a press conference, of course, in about 20 minutes time. So, we'll obviously be

back to talk to you about that, on what we may learn. But for now, Nada, you very much. Now U.S. President Donald Trump is warning Iran against

cracking down violently on anti-government protests.

Earlier Friday, he posted on social media that the U.S. was quote, locked and loaded to come to the rescue if Iranian authorities shoot and kill

protesters. Iranian media say several people were killed in the clashes with police on Thursday. CNN's Paula Hancocks has been tracking

developments from Abu Dhabi. So, Paula, tell us, how have Iran been responding to that threat?

[09:10:00]

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Christina, it was a fairly swift response from two separate Iranian officials, one saying that Iran's

national security is a red line, another one saying that any U.S. interference would lead to destruction of American interests in the region

and could destabilize the entire region.

So, it has been a very swift reaction to the U.S. President saying that, that they will get involved if they do see that innocent and peaceful

protesters are being shot and killed. Now, we have seen, over the past week, as these protests have been ongoing, that there have been a number of

deadly incidents with clashes with police.

Now they started these protests because of concerns of the dire economic crisis in the country. We have seen that the currency has hit a record low,

and that has created record inflation, or at least very high inflation. And the cost of living has become unbearably high for people in the country.

Those on the street are blaming government mismanagement. They say that it is their fault that this has been allowed to get to such a desperate

situation. Inflation is more than 40 percent for December, year on year, the price of food has risen more than 70 percent year on year.

So, we're seeing traders, shopkeepers, students, out on the street protesting this. We don't know at this point. It is unclear whether this

will progress and whether this will be more widespread across the nation. It is really those shopkeepers and traders and students at this point.

But there is a lot of anger about the fact that this has not been managed in a way that it should have been. We have heard from the president, for

example, of Iran, saying that there are going to be economic and banking reforms. It hasn't quelled the protests at this point.

These are the biggest protests we've seen in Iran for about three years now. And they are protests that the regime cannot ignore, given the fact

that that merchants and traders were really crucial when it came to protests that led to the 1979 Islamic Revolution, when the monarchy was

deposed and the Islamists came to power.

So, we are watching closely to see whether these protests spread, and as you have heard that the U.S. President saying that he's watching closely to

see whether or not they turn deadly, or at least more deadly than we have seen already, Christina.

MACFARLANE: And just briefly, Paula, we have heard the president offering a dialog and offering to meet with some of the representatives of the

protesters. What response have the government had so far, and has there been any heavy-handed crack down to the protests that have spread,

obviously beyond Iran?

HANCOCKS: Well, we know that the Head of the Central Bank has resigned. We know that there is a new Head of the Central Bank, President, Masoud

Pezeshkian has said that he has tasked the Minister of Interior with reaching out to the protesters, with talking to them, finding out exactly

what their concerns are.

And he has pledged that there will be economic reforms within the country. It is a deepening economic crisis, though, so there is certainly no quick

fix to what we have been seeing as this deteriorating situation over recent months, if not years. As of this point, the official response by the

president has not prevented people from coming out onto the streets.

It will be interesting to see if there is, in fact, any kind of direct dialog between the two sides, Christina.

MACFARLANE: All right. Paula Hancocks for now. Thank you. Zohran Mamdani is the new Mayor of New York City. The 34-year-old who's taken the political

scene by storm, spoke unapologetically at his New Year's Day inauguration.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZOHRAN MAMDANI, MAYOR OF NEW YORK CITY: I will not abandon my principles for fear of being deemed radical.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MACFARLANE: The inauguration drew some of the biggest names in the progressive movement, as Mamdani promised to stick to his expansive agenda

that includes affordability in one of the most expensive cities in the world. Sherrell Hubbard reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MAMDANI: I will faithfully discharge the duties.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Of the Office of the Mayor of the City of New York.

MAMDANI: Of the Office of the Mayor of the City of New York.

SHERRELL HUBBARD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Former State Assemblyman turned New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's public inauguration ceremony

Thursday, ushering in what he calls a new era. Mamdani was sworn in on the steps of New York City Hall by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, very

befitting as both men are progressives whose views run in contrast to today's politics.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D-VT): When working people stand together, when we don't let them divide us up, there is nothing we cannot accomplish.

[09:15:00]

HUBBARD (voice over): Mamdani captured the world's attention in the Democratic primary last summer. Then Mayor Eric Adams and President Donald

Trump urged voters to support former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo for the job. Critics said the 34-year-old was too inexperienced and idealistic.

MAMDANI: I was elected as a Democratic socialist, and I will govern as a Democratic socialist.

HUBBARD (voice over): During the campaign, he promised to create a universal child care program, freeze the rent for roughly 2 million rent

stabilized tenants, and make city busses, quote, fast and free.

MAMDANI: These policies are not simply about the costs we make free, but the lives we fill with freedom.

HUBBARD (voice over): A message that appears to be resonating with New Yorkers.

FERNANDO RESTREPO, MAMDANI SUPPORTER: I think that we are looking at the possibility of a lot of progressive policies being put into place, and I

think that means a safer society for all.

HUBBARD (voice over): I'm Sherrell Hubbard reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MACFARLANE: Right, ahead on "Connect the World". In a rare move, Donald Trump is addressing growing scrutiny of his health. What the 79-year-old

U.S. President is saying. And the Trump Administration slashes more federal workers this time removing some boots on the ground during emergencies.

It's a CNN exclusive coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MACFARLANE: We want to take you to Switzerland now, where we're getting a live update on the ski resort fire from authorities. Let's listen in.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The security institutions and support Stephane Ganzer, the Attorney General, Beatrice Pilloud, the Police Chief of the Canton of

police, Frederic Gisler. And then around the table, we also have the Head of the Judicial Police of the Canton of Valais, Antoine Lengen, the Head of

the Valais and Emergency Services Division, Fredy-Michel Roten and the General Director of the Valais hospital, Professor Eric Bonvin. I give the

floor to you, Madam, Attorney General.

BEATRICE PILLOUD, VALAIS CANTON ATTORNEY GENERAL: Thank you very much Lieutenant Colonel -- speaking on behalf of the State Council, then the

Police Chief of the Canton Frederic Gisler will talk about the current state of the situation in terms of the facts that we have, I will return.

[09:20:00]

Stephane Ganzer and the State Councilor Mathias Reynard will then give us an overview of the health situation. And then we will hear from Fredy-

Michel Roten, who will talk about the significant resources being applied by the OCVS, and then President -- will be talking about the current

situation in the Valais hospital.

And then to close I will take the floor again. At the end of this press conference, as was the case for our two previous press conferences, we will

answer your questions, and we will also make all speakers available for one-to-one interviews. Thank you. President, I give you the floor.

MATHIAS REYNARD, CHIEF OF HEALTH DEPARTMENT OF STATE COUNCIL: Thank you very much, Madam, Attorney General, media representatives, I'm only going

to take the floor once as president of the government and health minister, the day after this human drama, the government of Valais would once again

like to extend its thoughts and concerns to the families of the victims, the injured in the family and friends of those who are awaiting news.

We are aware of each hour as it passes and just how difficult this time is, how unbearable each minute without an answer has to be. Since the very

first minute, our teams are doing their utmost to save lives, to support families, to leave no one uncared for, and, of course, to identify as

quickly as possible the victims.

What is particularly noteworthy today is the system of cooperation that has been put in place, first of all, dealing with the injured. It was the

hospital here in Valais which, first of all, received about half of the 119 patients admitted. At the same time, other cantons in Switzerland have

provided huge support.

Thank you to them. The OCVS will come back to the situation and talk about it in detail, but we know that more than 20 people are being taken care of

by the University Hospital of Lausanne. Our gratitude goes to them. This mutual support is not something that has stopped at our national border.

We've received many offers of help from abroad, in particular from neighboring countries. Our role as a State Council is to facilitate such

international contact, and we'd like to thank the President of the Confederation Switzerland, and all of the support that we are getting from

the authorities in helping us with this crisis.

The flags on the national buildings and all Swiss embassies throughout the world are flying at half mast, as ordered by the President of Switzerland.

At an international level, we have had communications with Ms. Rist, the French Health Minister, who personally assured me of her support for caring

for the injured and patient transfers have already begun to French hospitals.

She has also made available specialized doctors who can support the organization of these transfers and directly support the Valais hospital

offer of help has been accepted. Mr. Tajani, the Italian Foreign Minister, came today to Crans-Montana. I accompanied him, together with my colleague,

Mr. Ganzer, for a moment of mutual support and meetings with the families of the Italian communities affected by this disaster.

And also, we have received an offer of help to take care of injured patients, transferring them to the north of Italy, we are experiencing

great offers of help, and the Organization for Emergency Services in Valais, the OCVS, will give further detail on this.

[09:25:00]

But what I can say at the moment is that around 50 injured patients have been transferred or will soon be transferred to European countries for

treatment of severe burns. So, to specialized burn units in those countries. We have seen huge support, which allied with the expertise of

our teams, has seen unprecedented speed in responding to the needs of this crisis.

The huge effect of this crisis will be felt throughout the Canton of Valais. We have counted 49 victims, and we are very much distraught by the

impact of this crisis. Many people are still fighting for their lives. Many individuals are under intensive cares being watched by expert teams in

Sion, in Swiss hospitals and in neighboring country hospitals.

Following this press conference, I will go to the local hospital in order to discuss the situation with our local hospital team. We can be proud of

our hospital in Valais all of the medical teams are doing an exceptional job, which continues today. The work being done is huge.

The staff at these hospitals are doing remarkable work. Many medical staff have come back from holidays to help the teams who are in place and

speaking to me today. But moments of silence as everybody works hard to deal with this situation.

To close, I would like to inform you that there will be a ceremony held in Crans-Montana on Friday the ninth of January 2026. We have informed the

Federal Council of this event. This will be a ceremony which will give us an opportunity as a community to come together and grieve together.

A condolences book will also be made available online from tomorrow Saturday, on the internet site of the Swiss Confederation in order to allow

all those who so wish to communicate a message of support and solidarity to those gravely affected. Thank you very much for your attention.

FREDERIC GISLER, COMMANDER OF THE VALAIS CANTONAL POLICE: Ladies and gentlemen, the destiny of over 160 people turned to horror yesterday as

they celebrated New Year in Crans-Montana. The Valais and police force and its partners are working untiringly to get information to the families of

those affected.

The first job we have, the most important, is to let people know whether their loved ones are amongst those who have been injured or have lost their

lives in this tragic situation. This is what I can tell you as things stand today, while clarifying that this information I'm giving you has been given

in advance to the families concerned with regards to those injured, the number is 119.

Given the information we have at the moment, 113 have been formally and definitively identified. For six others, identification is still underway.

Amongst the injured who have been identified, 71 are Swiss. We have also recorded 14 French nationals, 11 Italian nationals, 4 Serbian nationals, 1

Bosnian national, 1 Belgian, 1 Luxembourg I national, 1 Polish national and 1 Portuguese national.

14 of the patients have, as yet, to not have their nationality confirmed, and these figures may well change as we receive further information, as the

process of identification continues. With regard to those who have lost their lives. As the president of our government has stated, we regret 40

victims at the moment.

Their formal identification is currently under way. This is our priority to identify as quickly as possible those who have lost their lives.

[09:30:00]

We do have the means available for this, and we can count on the support of a number of specialists coming from numerous cantonal police forces around

Switzerland. But the protocol of formal identification follows a standard process as set out at the international level, and that takes time.

Anti-mortem dossiers have been opened with Switzerland, Belgium, France, Italy, Portugal, but also with the Philippines, Congo, Romania, Serbia and

Turkey. These are processes which are essential to allow the formal and definitive identification as quickly as possible.

The cantonal police of Valais would at this point like to reaffirm its full commitment to those families so terribly affected by this disaster. As well

as investigation, protection and identification, I have ordered that each of these families benefit from personalized support 24 hours a day until

the bodies of their closest, their family members, their loved ones, can be identified.

We are in the middle of a period of uncertainty and suffering, and in that context, I would extend all our support and concern, and also my thanks to

the police forces and our partners who are engaged in this operation. Thanks to their flawless engagement. We have been able to take care of the

victims and begin a process of identification.

This is ongoing work, as I'm sure you'll understand, this work will continue in the coming days, with our full commitment. With regard to the

first outcomes of the investigation carried out by the Attorney General of the Canton of Valais, give the floor to Beatrice Pilloud, who is the

Attorney General of the Canton of Valais. Thank you very much. I thank you for your attention.

PILLOUD: Thank you very much, commander. With regard to the investigation itself, I can assure you that the public prosecutor is doing everything it

possibly can to shed light on the circumstances of this terrible event. It is worth recalling that an investigation has been opened today in order to

find out what the circumstances of this fire were.

All and I would emphasize all possible lines of investigation will be pursued, none will be left aside. Some hypotheses can be confirmed as

things stand today. It can be assumed that the fire arising from fireworks which have -- were put on champagne bottles came too close to the ceiling.

And that produced a flash over which occurred very quickly, leading to general combustion. In order to achieve these first conclusions, we have

analyzed video recordings. A number of individuals have been interviewed and their experience recorded, as well as observations that have taken

place on site.

The two French managers of the site and those who have escaped have been interviewed, and that has enabled us to establish lists of individuals who

were present. These lists will help in the process of identification, and these interviews have also enabled us to better understand the internal

layout of the site as well as the capacity.

As we continue the investigation, we will focus particularly on the work that has been done in the bar, the materials that were used, the

authorization and licenses, the safety measures that have applied fire extinguishers, fire escapes, the respect for fire regulations, as well as

the means in place for fire prevention and fire extinguishing.

The number of people who are present, the number of individuals the bar is licensed to host the evacuation and exit paths for egress and also access.

[09:35:00]

The Forensic Institute of Zurich has been instructed, in light of the results that are achieved and as information develops during the

investigation, to carry out further analysis. There will also be a consideration whether or not, under such circumstances, any individuals

have potential criminal responsibility.

If such is the case, and if these individuals are still alive, then a file and an investigation will be opened for homicide through negligence,

causing fire through negligence, and bodily harm through negligence. With regard to the identification of individuals, there are many people, more

than 30, as things stand, who are working to ensure that identification can take place as quickly as possible.

And families can be informed as quickly as possible, whether their relatives or children have lost their lives. And Lieutenant Colonel Lengen

will provide further detailed information on that. But before concluding, my thanks go to everybody who's provided support and work, whether that be

the Office of the Attorney General, or whether that be the forces of law and order.

To all my colleagues who are working so hard, my thanks go to you and to everybody who has shown willingness to lend support at this time. So,

emphasis at the moment is very much on the process of identification to allow families to begin grieving. Thank you very much for your attention. I

give the floor to Lieutenant Colonel Lengen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you very much, Madam Attorney General. Allow me to repeat once again, although it's been said a number of times just how

important it is, in the view of the cantonal police to identify all persons who have lost their lives. It is an absolute priority. In order to complete

this work, we have the support of practically all cantonal police forces, the Federal Judicial Police, also a number of different Swiss and

international partners.

In this context, we have called on the use of an existing governmental structure, the DVI, which is specialized in identifying disaster victims.

It has in its staff, forensic pathologists, dentists, members of the police force. It's a structure that dates from 2004 when there were Swiss victims

following the tsunami.

It works according to international standards, Interpol recommendations. And it's absolutely essential to recognize that in this process, no

mistakes can be made, and we have to ensure that families receive the right information, and in the sad instance, that their relatives have died the

right body.

So, we're working together with a huge number of staff who visit the site, go through what is present. They are examining the corpses at this time in

order to carry out the post mortem dossier, which contains all of the elements for identification, which we find on the body, whether it's

fingerprints, whether it's DNA, whether it's particular objects on their person at the time of death.

And then these objects are compared with the anti-mortem dossier, which is information that has been collected from families of the victims relating

to clothing objects, but also DNA samples which are taken for the purposes of comparison subsequently. And once these two dossiers are ready, the

anti-mortem and the post mortem.

Then a final file is prepared, submitted to an identification system which is made up of the Attorney General, the Forensic Institute and police

representatives, that goes through a process which validates the correlation between the two files, the anti-mortem and the post mortem.

[09:40:00]

And once that correlation is established this commission then validates it, submits it to the Attorney General, which then releases the bodies and the

forensic division then authorizes the released the bodies then are given to the families. Well today, we have the support of the civil society

organizations which will support families through these processes.

They will be supported by relevant officers with the experience necessary, and it's wonderful to be able to count on their support. So, this is the

process that has been put in place. For us it's absolutely essential. You'll understand it's an extremely complex and meticulous process.

We cannot at this stage make any errors. While we are facing a huge demand for information, we have to proceed meticulously, and that's why we are

working day and night to be able to as quickly as possible bring the answers to the families. Thank you very much.

STEPHANE GANZER, VALAIS STATE COUNCILOR: Good day, ladies and gentlemen, from the security and safety point of view, the Canton of Valais has inter-

cantonal support in Switzerland and international support. Yesterday, we were in the process of emergency response. We had to secure the premises

and help the victims.

But the work today, as we move out of the emergency phase, is focusing very much on three priorities, supporting families, whether Swiss or foreign,

the families have those families who went to Crans-Montana have arrived there. They're receiving support from the police.

And when we communicate to families the results of the process of identification at that stage, they will have police support that will not

cease at the moment of communication of information, but will continue with psychological, mental health support. So, the police will be involved at

that stage as well.

I'm not going to repeat what has been said about identification. It is a priority, and the canton will be doing all it can with the help of

significant reinforcements in order to be able to bring to an end this unbearable period of waiting for many families, as the Attorney General has

said, we have been carrying out interviews.

We have been considering the videos that are available on social media, which reflect a certain reality, and we will seek through interviews of

further investigation to confirm the full reality of the situation. So, we recognize the significance of the federal police office as we seek to cope

with this unprecedented disaster.

And as has also been said, we have benefit from the Zurich Forensic Center, which is also working in the analysis to establish the fact surrounding the

starting of the fire. We have six members from that center here. We have 40 cantonal police force members in uniform, a number of them here in this

room, they are on the ground, providing the efforts necessary to guide and secure this site.

We also have a number of police inspectors carrying out investigations, interviews, and then we also have around 30 specialists working on victim

identification from the DVI, the Division of Victim Identification. So, we have dozens of specialists working on the ground, showing just how much

importance, we attach and how much support there is at the national and international level.

At the institutional level, we are working closely together with the Swiss Department of Foreign Affairs as regards diplomatic efforts. Transfers of

patients are a priority as things stand today, ensuring that individuals can be dealt with, can be cared for as effectively as possible.

[09:45:00]

There is a large amount of traffic at Sion airport today, mainly going to neighboring countries. We're still receiving many offers of help. There are

many processes underway, and we can rely on the Federal Office of Foreign Affairs. We've also been speaking with the Italian Ministry of Foreign

Affairs as well.

We received a visit from the foreign minister, and we're able to show everything that has been put in place. And we expect further visits in the

coming days, which reflect the level of cooperation that exists and certainly helps in doing as effective work as we possibly can. So that

covers the security aspect.

There's also the question of supporting medical workers, helping them, and helping them manage the impact, particularly when it comes to the first

responders. Yesterday, we also have to think of those in the neighborhood who have also made a significant contribution, other health professionals

and individuals who are working tirelessly throughout Switzerland and in European hospitals as well, to whom I would express our deepest gratitude.

Thank you very much.

DR. FREDY-MICHEL ROTEN, SWISS RESUSCITATION COUNCIL: Ladies and gentlemen, representatives of the media, yesterday's events are a tragedy for all of

the victims and their family and friends and loved ones, and I would extend our thoughts and concerns and comfort to those affected. Our response has

been extremely complex, not just from a technical point of view, but also from the emotional point of view.

I'd like to say a huge thanks to all of our partners and all of the workers in the OCVS Emergency Response Unit, particularly those who have been

operative on the ground. Allow me to provide you information on the support provided yesterday. We received alarms at the OCVS, together, we responded

with the firefighters and ensured that response was sent out at the cantonal level.

We see, we also had to rely on the system which is triggered when a major health crisis emerges. We have specialists dedicated to dealing with such

emergencies. So, the proceedings from here will follow national and international standards applicable in situations where the number of

victims is higher than the care facilities available for victims.

So, it won't just be the OCVS that is dealing with it. What we need to do initially is work with the federal authorities to manage the situation in

the immediate vicinity of the event. Then we carried out immediate triage and transferred injured victims as quickly as possible so that they could

receive care.

We organized transport to the hospitals where the initial acute phase of patient care meant that a number of patients were intubated, which is to

say they were put into an artificial coma. The decision on which hospitals patients were transferred to would depend on the resources available at

each hospital on the basis of information provided by our emergency services.

144. Our thanks go to our destination services. They were able to increase their capacities in very little time. The information was then transmitted

to an organization called Evasan, which is responsible for attributing to each patient to destination hospital. At that stage, we engaged 40

ambulances, 22 of which came from the Canton of Vaud, who we'd particularly like to thank for their support.

[09:50:00]

13 helicopters, 6 from the cantonal services, 5 helicopters from Rega, 1 French helicopter, 1 Italian helicopter. And our gratitude also goes to the

Italian authorities. We also had two trucks made available by the OCVS and one by the Canton of Vaud for medical support.

In total, 150 health workers worked during the night. Ambulance drivers, paramedics, doctors, OCVS, staff, emergency psychologists, first responders

and others. An important emergency support unit for psychological needs was put into motion which ensured that psychological care could be provided for

those affected, those involved, patients, their friends, family, but also workers on the ground and in our hospital infrastructure.

We have a team of 10 to 20 psychologists who are providing ongoing support in response to emerging needs. Now that's what happened yesterday. As we

move on today, the care for patients with severe burns is complex and can extend for weeks or months. The transfer of patients will continue to take

place.

This is a situation which can be explained by two reasons. Firstly, in light of the high number of injured individuals and the lack of space

available, patients have been sent to a number of different hospitals which have beds with intensive care not necessarily specialized in burns

treatment.

Our approach here is, first of all, to seek stabilization of the patients in the initial hours. We also want to avoid instances where, for example,

seven patients were sent to the hospital in Sion, while at the same time, 40 patients check themselves in, some of them needing very urgent

attention.

So, we worked together with Katamat to assign hospital places, and we've also been working together with the EU emergency center of medical

coordination. Yesterday morning, we worked, or we carried out a meeting with these bodies in order to ensure how best to assign patients.

The burn assessment teams that have come from France and Italy are also providing support to Swiss hospitals and are participating in patient

transfers to those countries. We have to understand that this planning is something that is taking place at the European level.

A system is in place for dealing with such emergency situations. We plan around 50 transfers by Sunday, most of them will be going to neighboring

countries, Germany, France, Italy and Belgium and medical air transport have also been offered by Germany, France, Luxembourg, Romania and Italy.

Thank you for your attention.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Allow me to provide a little bit of further information in the Valais hospital. The first thing to say is that all of the medical

staff at the hospital have responded to the situation. They understand the suffering of grieving families, but also the families of the injured who

are suffering significantly.

Obviously, the mood in the hospital is very much marked by those considerations, but the hospital is working.

[09:55:00]

I'm going to give you information on our two hospital centers, we have one for Upper Valais and one on four Lower Valais, both of them have

contributed to caring for individuals to different degrees. Firstly, the Sion site is one which is specialized for emergency intensive care

patients.

So, it was an appropriate site for -- the injured to be brought to. This is an emergency which, as we know, took place at a time of celebration. And

for us, we experience peaks of activity at such times. We have auxiliary support at this time, as we seek to provide a full response to the

requirements for emergency services.

So, at the time of the disaster, we were already experiencing use of our resources. We had to -- I don't want to use the word ordinary, but we have

a high number of cases to deal with at this time. But when the disaster happened, we ensured that an immediate response was provided and all of

those injured were given care.

I'll give you the figures for this in a moment, but things obviously have been developing since the first hours, as my colleague said, we've moved

from the emergency phase to a stabilization phase, but it is also a time which is particularly delicate, because we are seeking to provide

reassurance to families.

We are seeking to preserve confidentiality, and we are also seeking, in difficult circumstances, under huge media attention, to preserve

confidentiality, calm and quietude in our facilities. So that is why we put certain limits, and that's something I would say to the media, because, as

I know a number of you have tried to access the hospital.

I would ask you to understand that it is a place of care and treatment for our patients and support for the families concerned. With regard to the

hospital center for Valais -- in Sion, we have had 500 no, sorry, 55 severely injured individuals who have been treated at the hospital on the

night of the disaster.

Out of these 55, 13 have been able to go home, which is some good news. 11 who are still in the hospital, 28 have been transferred to other hospitals

in Switzerland or abroad. Of the 11 who are still in our hospital, 4 are still in intensive care, with 3 who are in the surgery services in Sion and

4 in the surgery services of Sierra.

With regard to Upper Valais, we also saw a very rapid response there. 7 patients went to intensive care. 2 of them are hospitalized, still in

intensive care in Upper Valais. So that's the current situation. The huge amount of work has been done on triage, on the transfer of those cases that

have to be transferred.

Another important element when it comes to transferring is the importance of ensuring that the injured can be as close to their homes as possible,

whether they are resident abroad or another cantons, because, as has been said already, the kind of injuries that they have sustained, for the

majority of these people are ones that will require a long period of treatment and rehabilitation.

So, it's important for these people.

END