An explosive fire at a popular pub in Thailand’s capital, Bangkok, has killed 27 people and left another 22 in critical condition, in one of the deadliest such incidents in the tourism hub in recent years.
Officials said they were investigating whether emergency exits may have been obstructed, hindering people from escaping the burning Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao pub.
The prime minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, who visited the site in the early hours of Monday, told reporters that based on survivor accounts, the pub rapidly filled with smoke after a fire broke out, forcing many to run to the back of the venue near the bathrooms.
At least 63 people were injured, said Suriyachai Rawiwan, the director of Bangkok’s disaster administration. The initial assessment was that an electrical short circuit in an air conditioner located in the ceiling had caused the fire, the disaster administration said.
Officials said the fire was understood to have started around midnight at the front stage section of the pub and spread rapidly.
Bangkok’s governor, Chadchart Sittipunt, said investigators would examine whether any emergency exits may have been obstructed, potentially making it more difficult for people to evacuate. “We need to wait for forensic investigators to examine the scene more closely,” he said.
The governor said the owner of the pub was inside the building when the fire broke out and was receiving medical treatment in hospital, according to local media.
On Monday, distraught families of the victims streamed into the police headquarters’ morgue to identify bodies. Some were led in slowly by support people; others were survivors of the blaze themselves who came to identify loved ones, including the inconsolable girlfriend of a 27-year-old victim who had been at the pub with him.
Staff at the morgue told the Guardian it was believed that most of the victims were Thai nationals between 25 and 50.
Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao is a popular live music venue situated in Chatuchak, a suburb in Bangkok’s north known for its sprawling weekend markets popular with tourists. The venue’s Facebook page advertises live Thai performers and bands.
A Laotian tourist, Kan Kutirat, told Agence France-Presse he “heard loud screaming from a lot of people inside – chaos happened”. He shared a video on Facebook, verified by AFP, that showed patrons – several with their shirts ablaze – fleeing into the street as flames surged out the door.
The Thai band Tossakan was playing on stage when the fire broke out, and their lead singer was among those killed in the blaze, according to a social media post by another member of the band. He posted that the band’s drummer was in a serious condition and that the whereabouts of two other members were unknown, adding that the late singer had been his girlfriend.
The mother of one of the missing band members had earlier come to the morgue looking for him despite his name not being on the list of the dead.
Anan Prasert, the band’s bass player, returned to the pub on Monday afternoon with bandages on his arm to collect some equipment. He told media he was able to escape through the front doors after he smelt that something was wrong.
Usa Tadsree, 40, had been at the bar and stepped outside to smoke with a friend. When the fire started, she tried to go back in to help but there was too much smoke, she said. Two of her friends died and a third was in a critical condition.
Body camera footage from an emergency worker seen by Reuters showed firefighters in oxygen masks moving through the darkened remains of the pub with torches as they searched for survivors. Several victims could be seen lying on the floor near the pub’s toilets while rescue workers carried stretchers.
The video also showed what appeared to be the fire-damaged main room of the venue, with bar tables and stools still visible.
Smoke hung heavy in the air around the barricaded venue on Monday. Local people wearing face masks or pinching their noses paused outside the pub’s smashed windows to pay their respects. “I’m very sad, I’m sorry for everybody,” said Nada Kunda.
Thailand has suffered similar tragedies in the past. In 2022, 14 people were killed by a fire at a music pub in the east of the country. More than a decade before that, 66 people were killed and more than 200 injured in a fire during a 2009 New Year’s Eve celebration at the Santika nightclub in Thailand’s capital. That blaze was apparently sparked by an indoor fireworks display.
With Reuters and Agence France-Presse
