All Crans-Montana injuries discharged from Milan hospital

Bertolaso praises hospital staff

"Es werde für die jungen Leute Zeit, Geduld und Kraft erfordern, das Geschehene hinter sich zu lassen und Schritt für Schritt in den Alltag zurückzukehren", Guido Bertolaso, Lombardy's regional health commissioner, told the Ansa news agency. With this assessment, he pointed to the severity of the burn injuries suffered and the associated lengthy rehabilitation phases.

Some of the young patients had been brought to the Niguarda hospital in Milan — one of Italy's largest burn centers — with severe burn scarring. Specialized teams from surgery, intensive care, and psychology had treated those affected for weeks. Even after they were able to leave the hospital, outpatient check-ups and physiotherapy measures remain part of the treatment plan.

Bertolaso expressly thanked the medical and nursing staff at the Niguarda hospital for their dedication. He spoke of an "außergewöhnlichen Teamleistung" that had been characterized equally by professional expertise and human compassion. Without this commitment, the health commissioner said, recovery to this extent would not have been possible.

Psychological support for families

In addition to medical care, the families of those affected were closely involved. At an earlier stage, the Lombardy region had already provided psychological support for relatives in order to prepare for the return to the home environment. Bertolaso continues to attach great importance to this accompaniment.

The Italian patients were part of a larger group who had been in Crans-Montana at the time of the incident. Other victims had been treated in countries of origin such as Switzerland, France, and other European states. With the discharge of the last Italians from Milan, the acute hospital phase is now formally over on the Italian side.

Transition to long-term rehabilitation

Bertolaso expressed the hope that, despite lasting physical and psychological effects, those affected could in the medium term return to as normal a life as possible. Doing so would require consistently continuing rehabilitation measures and ensuring psychological care over the long term. The Lombardy region would continue to accompany the families.

In recent weeks, the authorities had repeatedly reviewed the Crans-Montana incident, including with a view to possible consequences for safety at large events. From Lombardy's perspective, the discharge of the last Italian patients marks the transition from emergency care to long-term aftercare.

Reporting Ansa, citing Bertolaso, said that some of the young people were already taking their first steps back into school, training, or working life. Further rehabilitation steps were planned in close coordination with the treating physicians, it said.

Looking ahead to the period after the hospital stay, the health commissioner pointed out that many of the injuries would still require medical and therapeutic attention for months to come. The region would therefore remain in close contact with the families in order to be able to respond to changes in health status.