NEW YEAR CLUB INFERNO: FEARS

JUST over an hour after the clocks struck midnight to usher in the new year, waitresses carried bottles of champagne containing flaming sparklers into a bar at one of Switzerland's top ski resorts.

- BY PATRICK HILL in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, and SIMON MURPHY

A few minutes later, an evening of celebration turned into a nightmare as scores of partygoers some in their teens - desperately tried to escape as a blaze ripped through the basement venue.

About 40 people were last night thought to have died with 115 injured in Le Constellation bar at the Crans-Montana resort.

It is feared that Brits may be among the casualties at the popular tourist destination.

What started as a scene of revelry was likened to a horror movie as Swiss president Guy Parmelin described it as one of the country's worst tragedies.

Footage emerged showing what appeared to be the beginning of the inferno, with flames spreading across the bar's ceiling. It has not been confirmed how the fire started.

One witness described a crowd surge as people tried to escape up a narrow flight of stairs and through a door.

Another told of people smashing windows.

About 60 people were being treated at Sion hospital, in Valais, with others elsewhere.