Overview
- Authorities report about 40 dead and 119 injured, with police confirming the identities of eleven victims so far, mostly Swiss teenagers and young adults, while some media report a higher count not yet corroborated by officials.
- Investigators say party fireworks attached to champagne bottles likely ignited foam on the ceiling, causing the blaze to spread rapidly through the crowded venue.
- Cantonal prosecutors have opened a case against the bar’s operators on suspicion of negligent homicide, negligent bodily harm and negligent arson, and the Crans-Montana municipal council has joined as a co-plaintiff and filed a civil claim.
- Severely burned patients remain in critical condition and difficult to identify, a disaster victim identification unit is deployed, and Germany’s civil protection agency says eleven critically injured have been transferred for specialist care.
- A national day of mourning with church bells and a minute of silence is set for January 9, while an eyewitness rescuer’s account of people trapped behind a blocked door is fueling scrutiny of the emergency response.