Rega flight coordinator: mission for fire victims still ongoing

Philipp Simmen, Head of Helicopter Operations at Rega, told Swiss Radio SRF at midday that he could not confirm the authorities' statement that all the patients had been treated. The operation involving several helicopters and an ambulance jet is still ongoing. It will be some time before everyone has been treated.

In addition to Rega crews, Air Glaciers and Air Zermatt are also on duty in Valais, reported Simmen in the radio interview. In the first phase, the injured were flown to hospital by helicopter crews. In the second stage, injured people with special needs would be transferred. At present, seven people are being flown by ambulance jet from Sion to clinics in eastern Switzerland.

The Rega Operations Centre has an overview of the capacities of the individual hospitals, explains Simmen. They know which hospitals have what capacity and which are at the limit. "We make sure that we distribute the patients as well as possible." This also applies to the next few days.

In the first phase, the Rega crews tried to work so that the patients were well cared for, said Simmen. However, every new report that comes in shows the extent of the incident. "That is shocking."

Among the victims of the fire accident were many young people who had wanted to start the new year with joy, said Simmen. He did not classify the accident in Crans-Montana as unique. Events with a high number of victims happen all the time, such as avalanches or plane crashes.