Churches full as Italy mourns its Swiss fire dead

MILAN - Mourners packed churches across Italy Wednesday for the funerals of four teenagers killed in Switzerland's New Year bar fire, with one of the grieving fathers insisting such a tragedy must never happen again.

Chiara Costanzo's body was carried into Milan's Basilica of Santa Maria delle Grazie in a wooden coffin topped with white roses, as relatives, friends and classmates of the 16-year-old looked on in silence.

"Chiara had a thirst for life and was forced to give up her dreams too soon. No young person should have to do that," said her father, Andrea Costanzo.

Speaking to reporters before the ceremony, he urged investigators to establish what happened, saying: "We all thirst for truth, and for these things to never happen again."

Chiara was one of 40 people who died in the inferno at Le Constellation in the Alpine ski resort of Crans-Montana, half of them aged under 18.

Six Italians were among the dead, and schools across the country observed a moment of silence Wednesday on their first day back from the Christmas holidays.

A short walk away from Chiara's funeral, classmates of Achille Barosi, also 16, packed the Sant'Ambrogio basilica alongside family and friends to pay their last respects to the teen.

Achille had reportedly escaped the fire, but died after running back in to help others trapped inside.

"We have come here with broken hearts and confused minds, with so many questions. Why death in the bloom of youth, and why like this?" said the priest.

'NO WORDS'

In Bologna, a funeral was held at the city's cathedral for Giovanni Tamburi, while Riccardo Minghetti was laid to rest in Rome.

Both were 16 years old.

At the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Rome's southern EUR district, bells played "Ave Maria" for Riccardo as hundreds of people spilled out into the street, far too many to fit inside.

"Faced with a tragedy like this, there are no words, and when life presents us with situations like this, we see how absurd and unpredictable it all is," Bishop Andrea Manto told the mourners, flanked by photos of the teen put together by his friends.

"In an ideal relay race, Riccardo passes the baton to you. He fought his battle and finished the race, but it is up to us to pick up that baton, transforming pain into more love,"Manto said.

Riccardo's classmates were given permission to leave school early to attend the funeral.

"He was a nice, cheerful guy, always coming over to say hello, never indifferent, always joking around," 17-year-old Valerio told AFP, describing him as "a great guy, good in school too, really a good person".

The impact on the school had been dramatic, he said.

"It's something that has obviously affected and upset everyone. It's something you feel in class, in the corridors, it's something that's left no one indifferent."

Lorenzo, a 16-year-old who studies at the sister campus of Riccardo’s high school, agreed, as he looked around at the sea of young people.

"What happened was serious, and so as a community we’re here, we’re coming together, we’re embracing the families of the victims in general," he said.

In Lugano, Switzerland, mourners gathered for the youngest among the Italian victims of the fire -- 15-year-old Sofia Prosperi.

A private funeral will be held Thursday in the Genoa area for Emanuele Galeppini, a 16-year-old promising golfer.

Swiss prosecutors believe the fire ignited from champagne bottles with sparklers too close to insulation foam on the bar's ceiling.

Authorities failed to carry out fire safety inspections at the bar for the past five years.