Overview
- The hearing began with moving testimony from the victims’ parents, who described lasting trauma and the moment a fireball struck their family.
- Aerial photographs shown in court placed spectators as close as about 30 meters from the launch site, far short of the required exclusion distance.
- Six defendants stand trial: the mayor, an adjoint, the principal pyrotechnician, his company HTP (now Féérie), and Cholet Événements with its vice‑president.
- The mayor is accused of failing to impose barriers to enforce the safety zone, while the artificer and HTP are accused of launching despite people in a forbidden area and using unsuitable or poorly maintained equipment.
- Lawyers for Cholet Événements briefly sought a postponement before withdrawing the request, and the trial is set to run through Friday with potential penalties of up to three years in prison and €45,000 in fines.