Bangkok pub fire death toll rises to 33 with over a dozen in intensive care
Officials confirm two more deaths as 30 people remain in hospital, including 15 in intensive care units.
The death toll in a fire at a popular live music pub in Bangkok has risen to 33, authorities said, as Thailand pledged to tighten safety rules for entertainment venues nationwide.
The Erawan Emergency Medical Centre said on Wednesday that around 70 people are still injured, including more than a dozen of whom remain in critical condition in hospital.
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The fire, Thailand’s deadliest in 17 years, broke out at the Rong Beer Na Ladprao late on Sunday night. It took firefighters 30 minutes to put out the blaze.
Most of the victims died from smoke inhalation, while a few died from burn injuries, Wiroon Supasingsiripreecha, chief of the Institute of Forensic Medicine, told journalists on Wednesday.
Local police said that most of the people who were found dead were trapped in windowless bathrooms, where they may have tried to escape the blaze.
Officials said one emergency exit was marked for staff only, while another possible escape route may have been locked, although investigators are still examining exactly what happened.
The government has ordered an urgent inspection of all entertainment venues across the country.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said authorities would review entertainment venue licensing regulations after it emerged Rong Beer Na Lad Phrao was not licensed to host live music, despite doing so regularly.
“Businesses that do not comply with regulations are not sustainable, and the owner of this venue will face the utmost prosecution,” the premier added.
The owner of the bar was admitted to intensive care immediately after the fire, but it was not clear if he was still in hospital.
Authorities say an electrical short circuit in a ceiling-mounted air conditioner may have sparked the fire. Investigators are also examining whether combustible acoustic materials around the stage fuelled the blaze, producing extreme heat and smoke.
Some survivors and family members of victims arrived at the Phahonyothin Police Station on Wednesday to give statements, gather belongings and seek compensation.
Natthaphong Lakhorn, 26, told the Associated Press news agency that he was close to the stage when the fire started.
“When the fire broke, I just ran, and then all power went out,” said Natthaphong, who said that a relative died in the fire. “It was so hectic.”
He said he plans to seek compensation for the injuries to his ears and head.
Kanticha Singkhon, 25, lost her mother in the fire. She said that the bar owners should be “reaching out to the families” and helping them retrieve their loved ones’ belongings.
A lawyer representing the bar owners told local media that survivors and family members would initially receive 10,000 baht (around $300).
