Overview
- Valais police said all victims have been formally identified, confirming ages ranged from 14 to 39 and that more than half were teenagers, including two 14-year-olds.
- Regional prosecutors opened a case against the bar’s managers on suspicion of negligent homicide, negligent bodily harm and negligently causing a fire, stressing the presumption of innocence.
- Authorities’ working hypothesis points to champagne sparklers igniting sound‑dampening material on a low ceiling, with probes focusing on permitted materials, occupancy, extinguishers and escape routes.
- The blaze left 119 injured, and officials said 35 patients were transferred to specialized burn centers in five European countries, including 17 treated in France, with others sent to Germany, Italy and Belgium.
- Switzerland will hold a national day of mourning on January 9, and hundreds attended a memorial Mass and silent procession in Crans‑Montana as families and local groups began to publicly name some victims.