The China Mail - Thailand probes Bangkok bar fire that killed 27, injured dozens

People ran screaming out of the venue on the outskirts of the Thai capital on Sunday evening as flames shot out of the entrance, several with their clothing burned or ablaze.

AFP journalists saw several body bags on the ground outside the Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao bar and restaurant, as well as odd shoes scattered by the back door, left behind in the panic.

"Everybody was running, squeezing into each other," recalled Athipat "Ice" Wijarn, whose band was on stage when the fire broke out around 11:00 pm (1600 GMT) Sunday.

The lights went out and they noticed smoke come from the electrical circuit on the wall behind them, he told Thai talk show Hone-Krasae on Monday.

As he crawled towards the exit, he said "there was an explosion, and I got hit at the back of my head. I felt the heat and the burn."

The keyboardist, Kwang, and the band's singer, Breeze, both died.

Athipat said Breeze, his girlfriend, "did not suffer any burn wounds. It looked like she was just sleeping".

AFP journalists later saw flowers left on a burned-out electric keyboard.

Forensic police began working Monday in the gutted venue, its windows blown out, as investigators sought to establish what caused the fire and why it was so deadly.

"The fire spread very quickly, reaching up to the ceiling. Smoke was likely the main cause of death," Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt told reporters at the scene.

Twenty-seven people died and 73 were injured, with 41 in hospital, including 25 in intensive care, according to the Erawan Emergency Centre.

It was the deadliest fire in Thailand since a blaze tore through Bangkok's Santika club during New Year celebrations in 2009, killing 67 people and injuring more than 200.

- 'Blind spots' -

National police chief Kitrat Panphet said his investigators were hoping to speak to the owner of Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao, who is currently in intensive care in hospital.

"Most of the people who died were found in the toilets. When the fire broke out, they panicked. There were no lights," he told reporters.

Police are examining if the exit doors were accessible, he said, noting that one was obstructed by a shelf, meaning only one person at a time could pass through.

They are also looking at the electrical wiring in the 50-year-old building and whether any decorations may have fuelled the fire, he said.

"We presume it is carelessness," Kitrat said.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who earlier visited the scene, said initial inquiries suggested there were "blind spots" without a visible fire escape route.

He urged everyone to wait for the official findings, but added, "There will be no leniency if any laws have been broken."

- 'Loud screaming' -

Ten of the victims have been identified so far, nine of them Thai nationals and one from Laos.

Laotian tourist Kan Kutirat, who was in the bar at the time, told AFP he "heard loud screaming from a lot of people inside -- chaos happened".

"I never experienced anything like this before," he told AFP. "The images are still stuck in my mind."

Motorbike taxi driver Surin Jaiharn said he saw the fire burst into the street from the bar door.

He helped about five people fleeing with burnt and blistering skin, while another driver carried a victim away from the danger.

"I feel depressed. I saw many deaths and I do not know the fate of the people I helped," Surin, 45, told AFP.

Speaking to reporters at City Hall, Anutin assured the victims and their families they would "receive the best possible care".

Senior justice ministry official Triyarith Temahivong pledged 300,000 baht ($9,000) for the family of each deceased victim and up to 80,000 baht for actual medical costs for each injured person.

In 2022, 25 people died after a fire ripped through the Mountain B nightclub in Thailand's eastern Chonburi province.

A.Sun--ThChM