A devastating fire ripped through a packed New Year’s Eve party at a Swiss ski resort bar, causing panic and a desperate escape. Witnesses described scenes of chaos as revellers smashed windows to flee flames and smoke. Dozens are feared dead and over 100 injured, with many young people believed to be among the victims.

The incident took place around 9.30 pm in the Damudya area, near Keurbhanga Bazar in the Koneshwar Union. The victim, 50-year-old Khokon Chandra Das, was reportedly waylaid, beaten and doused with petrol before being set ablaze, reported news agency ANI, citing Prothom Alo. Das was later shifted to Dhaka for advanced treatment as his condition worsened, the report said.

After the fourth-warmest December since 1901, the IMD has predicted normal to above-normal temperatures and subdued winter precipitation for Northwest India in January-February