Overview
- Prosecutors plan to question co-owners Jacques and Jessica Moretti on Friday in Sion on suspicions including negligent homicide, bodily injury and arson, and the couple says it will fully cooperate.
- Switzerland will hold a national day of mourning on Friday at 14:00, with a ceremony in Valais expected to draw delegations from about 30 countries, including Presidents Emmanuel Macron and Sergio Mattarella.
- Forty people died and 116 were injured when the New Year’s blaze swept through Le Constellation; the probe centers on champagne ‘fontaines’ igniting a foam ceiling and whether materials met fire-safety rules, as the municipality admits no inspections since 2019.
- Severely burned survivors are in specialist units in Switzerland and Germany, with donor skin delivered to Zurich and to Leipzig treatment centers, and clinicians expect three to five months of intensive care for many patients.
- Scrutiny of local oversight intensifies as commentary calls for external review, while observers decry paid safety guides and a surge in product marketing, and experts urge caution with private crowdfunding appeals.