27 die after fire rages through popular venue in Bangkok bar district
A fire that tore through a popular venue in Bangkok, Thailand, has reportedly killed 27 people and left others seriously injured.
Firefighters were called to the blaze around midnight on Sunday at Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao – an entertainment venue located in the bustling Chatuchak District of the Thai capital.
Video posted on Fire & Rescue Thailand’s Facebook page showed flames jetting out of the venue’s entry door as people ran from the scene.
Fire crews out the front of the scene of a fatal fire in Bangkok, Thailand. Photo / Fire & Rescue Thailand (Facebook)
After the blaze was contained, photographs from inside the venue showed the intensity of the fire
Other videos showed rescue teams frantically trying to resuscitate victims using CPR, and a grim row of bodies underneath white coverings on the pavement.
An unconfirmed post from the site said the victims included nine men and 18 women.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told local TV media at the scene “... 27 bodies were moved out, lifeless bodies. Some were sent to hospitals”.
Anutin said musicians at the bar and restaurant venue on the outskirts of the capital described “smoke from a circuit breaker near the stage followed by the power going out and an explosion”.
He added: “Most of the victims ran to the back, to toilets with no exit. It could be because of panic because there was fire and smoke in the restaurant.”
Survivors say smoke filled the venue quickly, making escape difficult.
Thai national police said in a social media post at around 2am local time that the fire had been “brought under control” within 45 minutes.
Rescue workers tend to the injured
Pictures from inside of the venue show the ferocity of the fire, with burned furniture and a charred roof.
Authorities set up a perimeter with metal barricades and police tape outside the venue, and investigations are continuing.
- AFP
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