BANGKOK: An explosive fire at a popular bar in Thailand’s capital Bangkok has killed 27 people, the country’s prime minister and other officials said on Monday (Jul 13), in one of the deadliest such incidents in the tourism hub in recent years.
An AFP journalist saw several black body bags on the ground outside the Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao bar and restaurant early Monday morning, while dozens of emergency service workers thronged the scene.
Numbered bodies lay in two rows awaiting removal, surrounded by a large number of rescue workers. Firefighters stood near the bar’s entrance, its facade scorched and blackened by the blaze.
“The fire spread very quickly, reaching up to the ceiling. Smoke was likely the main cause of death,” Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt told reporters outside the venue on the outskirts of the Thai capital.
He said 27 people were killed and 63 were hospitalised with injuries, including 22 in critical condition, adding that authorities had launched an investigation.
A number of the victims were found near the fire exit and authorities believe there may have been obstructions blocking it, he said.
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