Death toll from Bangkok fire rises as police reveal many killed were trapped in windowless bathrooms
Updated . First published at
Police have revealed the majority of victims in a horror pub fire in Bangkok were found trapped in windowless bathrooms.
The blaze at the Rong Beer Na Ladprao bar in the Thai capital killed at least 30 people and left 24 others fighting for life, and initial investigations reveal the horrifying situation facing victims as the blaze quickly spread.
Thailand’s police chief said some victims may have been unable to escape due to blockages or a lack of lights. Sakchai Lalit
“Most of the people who died were found in the toilets. When the fire broke out, they panicked. There were no lights,” national police chief Kittharath Punpetch told local media.
He said the exit was not used, and people may have been blocked from reaching it by a table set up in a hall to sell candy, or because it was too dark to find the way out.
Access to another exit near the kitchen might also have been narrowed by shelving units and lockers, Kittharath said. There were signs that at least some of the exit doors might have been locked, he added.
The site had been cordoned off as dozens of forensic officers sought clues about what caused the fire.
The bar’s street-facing windows were blown out, and debris littered the sidewalk, including charred television sets, speakers and an electric guitar.
Associated Press journalists looking through the shattered windows could see empty beer bottles still sitting atop burned tables.
The bar, which in Thai calls itself a brewery or beer hall, claimed to accommodate as many as 600 customers.
It was not clear how many were present when the fire broke out.
Investigators focused on the ceiling above a performance stage, where they found materials that may have been used as decorative elements, Kittharath said.
The investigation will also focus on whether the venue was following safety regulations.
Police will examine whether flammable materials were used in the interior and how electrical wiring was installed across the ceiling.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told reporters that a musician who was performing at the bar told him he saw smoke coming out of a circuit breaker near the stage before the power went out.
Then an explosion was heard, and thick smoke quickly filled the place.
Forensic police officers inspect the site of the fatal fire. Bangkok Metropolitan Administration
The charred remains of the bar after it was gutted by fire. Bangkok Metropolitan Administration
Video posted on social media showed people fleeing as flames shot out of the single-story building and black smoke billowed into the sky.
Keo Oudone Poungpany, 24, said his younger brother died in the fire.
Both of the brothers, migrant workers from neighbouring Laos, were working as bar employees when the fire broke out.
Poungpany said he was using a restroom outside the bar when the fire began.
He described walking back toward the bar and encountering dozens of people running away from the flames and hearing loud noises.
“I grabbed a fire extinguisher and sprayed it at the door... but I couldn’t go any further. I heard people screaming,” he said.
The ferocious blaze meant people had little time to escape. @jackfanchan
From outside the bar, he began shouting for his brother.
“The heat was unbearable, I couldn’t get back in,” he said.
“For now, I want to bring my younger brother’s body back home,” Poungpany said.
“I want to bring him home to my parents. My parents are waiting for their kids to come back together, but now one is gone.”
It is understood that current investigations have found no Australians have been impacted by the fire.
“Australians will be shocked to hear of the terrible loss of life in the restaurant fire in Bangkok. Our sincere condolences are with all those affected,” a Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson told nine.com.au.
Reported with Associated Press
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