Overview
- Pope Leo XIV received parents of six Italian victims and relatives of the injured, calling the New Year’s Eve blaze a catastrophe of extreme violence.
- The Canton of Valais approved immediate payments of 10,000 Swiss francs each to 156 victims or families.
- The fire at the Le Constellation bar killed 40 people and injured more than 100, reportedly after indoor pyrotechnic fountains ignited the ceiling.
- Around 80 people remain hospitalized, with some of the most severely burned patients treated in Milan, where two are reported to be in life-threatening condition.
- The bar operator is in pre-trial custody as prosecutors investigate suspected negligent homicide, negligent injury and causing a fire, and Italy says it plans to join any future trial as a civil party after its prime minister met affected families.