Skin From The Deceased Helps Burn Victims Of Swiss New Year Bar Fire

ZURICH, Jan 9 (Bernama-dpa) -- Zurich hospitals have received 9.3 square metres of donor skin for burn victims from the fire disaster in a bar during a New Year's Eve party in a Swiss ski resort, the supplying Dutch tissue bank told news agency Keystone-SDA on Thursday, reported German news agency dpa.

Additionally, the tissue bank has also delivered donor skin to Leipzig, where three burn victims from the fire in Crans-Montana a week ago are being treated, the tissue bank said.

The skin from deceased donors has been brought to the University Hospital and the Children's Hospital in Zurich, according to the tissue bank ETB-BISLIFE. 

Fortunately, the Swiss customs authorities were very cooperative and enabled the donor skin to be processed without delay, a spokesman for the tissue bank in the Dutch city of Haarlem told the agency.

The donor skin is used as a temporary skin substitute to protect the wounds of severely burned patients, prevent infections and support healing until the application of the patient's own skin is possible.

Day of mourning with representatives from 30 nations

On Friday, Switzerland plans to commemorate the 40 dead from the fire disaster with a national day of mourning. Additionally, 116 people were injured. 

In Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana on New Year's Eve, sparklers set the ceiling on fire. The room quickly turned into an inferno.

The day is dedicated to the memory of the deceased, solidarity with the injured, and connection with all those affected, according to the authorities. 

The whole of Switzerland is urged to pause at 2 pm (1300 GMT) on Friday.

More than 1,000 guests are expected at the official ceremony in the region of Valais. 

About 30 countries have announced their participation, including Italy with President Sergio Mattarella and France with President Emmanuel Macron.

--BERNAMA-dpa