It’s sadly being reported that a 17-year-old golfer died in a tragic New Year’s Day accident.
Unfortunately, a massive fire at an Alpine ski resort killed at least 40 people and injured 119 others on New Year’s Day. It was sadly reported that several bodies couldn’t be identified during the initial process due to the severity of the burns.
“The blaze broke out around 1:30 a.m. Thursday during a holiday celebration inside the Le Constellation bar,” the Associated Press reported. “Two women told French broadcaster BFMTV they were inside when they saw a male bartender lifting a female colleague on his shoulders as she held a lit candle in a bottle. The flames spread, collapsing the wooden ceiling, they told the broadcaster.”
Emanuele Galeppini, an Italian golfer, was among those missing this week. On Thursday night, however, the Italian Golf Federation confirmed that Galeppini passed away at the young age of 17.
“At this time of great sorrow, our thoughts are with his family and all those who loved him,” the statement from the Italian Golf Federation read. “Emanuele, you will forever remain in our hearts.”
Galeppini was described as someone who “carried passion and authentic values with him.”
Details on this tragedy.
Beatrice Pilloud, the attorney general for Switzerland’s Valais Canton, said this deadly fire was most likely caused by sparklers on Champagne bottles. An investigation has been launched to figure out what went wrong.
“At no moment is there a question of any kind of attack,” Pilloud said. “For the time being, we don’t have any suspects. An investigation has been opened, not against anyone, but to better understand the circumstances of this dramatic fire.
Our thoughts are with those impacted by this awful accident.
This story was originally published by The Spun on Jan 2, 2026, where it first appeared in the Golf section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.