Overview
- Swiss authorities said all 40 deceased have now been identified, concluding several days of forensic work following the New Year’s Eve blaze.
- France updated its national toll to nine dead and 23 injured, with no citizens still unaccounted for, according to the Foreign Ministry.
- Valais prosecutors have opened an instruction pénale against the bar’s two French managers on suspicion of negligent homicide, negligent bodily harm and negligent arson.
- Early findings focus on candles or bottle-mounted effects near the ceiling and highly flammable acoustic foam, while survivor accounts raise concerns over escape routes.
- Hospitals in multiple countries are treating burn victims, with at least 18 patients transferred to France by Sunday night, and Switzerland plans a national day of mourning on January 9.