France, Jan. 6 -- The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs has so far confirmed the deaths of nine French nationals, including several minors, while 23 French nationals have been injured.

Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau on Monday expressed her "deepest compassion to them and their families".

While she said"Swiss authorities remain competent to investigate the sequence of events and determine any liability", a separate inviestigation is being opened up by the "mass casualty incidents" unit of the Paris prosecutor's office.

This would "allow the French victims and their families to have a common point of contact in France and to facilitate, if necessary, their communication with the Swiss authorities," she explained.

The association France...