Overview
- The official toll stands at 40 dead and 119 injured as police use DNA and other methods to identify victims and inform families.
- A criminal instruction in Valais names Jacques and Jessica Moretti on counts of homicide, bodily injury and arson by negligence, and they remain free during the inquiry.
- Early investigative elements indicate sparklers on champagne bottles ignited ceiling materials in the basement, with checks underway on exits, acoustic foam and recent renovations.
- Switzerland will mark a national day of mourning on Friday, 9 January, with church bells at 14:00 and a ceremony in Crans-Montana followed by a minute of silence.
- Victims include multiple nationalities, with France reporting nine missing and at least 16 injured, while more than 50 volunteer firefighters and reinforcements mounted the overnight rescue.