Overview
- The explosion struck around 1:30 a.m. local time as more than 100 people celebrated the New Year inside the bar.
- Local police now put the toll at about 40 dead and roughly 115 injured, with many reported to be seriously hurt.
- Investigators are treating the incident as a fire while examining conflicting accounts of the trigger, including indoor fireworks or a candle-lit champagne bottle igniting the ceiling.
- Foreign nationals are among the victims, and consular offices report no confirmed Japanese casualties while reports mention French and Italian citizens among the missing and injured.
- A major rescue operation unfolded at the Alpine resort, and President Parmelin offered condolences, calling it one of the country’s worst tragedies.