Overview
- Valais police revised the injured tally to 116 after removing three erroneous records and said 83 people remain hospitalized, many in specialist burn units.
- Investigators say sparklers on Champagne bottles likely ignited soundproofing foam on a low ceiling, causing a rapid fire in Le Constellation’s basement.
- Crans-Montana’s mayor apologized for missed inspections since 2019, announced a local ban on sparkler candles in venues, and closed another site run by the same managers.
- All 40 victims have been identified, most of them teenagers aged 14 to 19, with multiple nationalities involved and five Italian victims repatriated by military aircraft.
- Prosecutors are investigating the bar’s managers for involuntary homicide and related offenses, as Switzerland prepares a national day of mourning on 9 January and France says President Emmanuel Macron will attend a memorial.