dpa correspondents

dpa

(TNS)

Bangkok — At least 27 people were killed in a fire that tore through a pub in the Thai capital Bangkok, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Monday after visiting the scene.

The blaze broke out shortly before midnight on Sunday at the Rong Beer Na Ladprao venue in Bangkok's Chatuchak district, a neighbourhood known for its popular weekend market. According to the Bangkok Post, 71 people were injured, including more than 20 seriously. Several people who may have been inside the venue remained missing.

Television footage showed flames engulfing the restaurant before firefighters brought the blaze under control after about 45 minutes. 

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, although disaster officials believe a short circuit in a ceiling-mounted air conditioning unit may have triggered the blaze.

Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said investigators were also looking into whether emergency exits had been blocked and whether the business had complied with fire safety requirements.

The fire spread quickly because of highly flammable ceiling and decorative materials, the governor said. 

Prime Minister Charnvirakul said many victims had suffered severe smoke inhalation in addition to burns, adding that injured were taken to 16 hospitals across Bangkok.

The pub is located near the popular Chatuchak Market, a major attraction for both Thai and international visitors. It was not immediately clear whether any foreign nationals were among the victims.

Fire spreads within seconds, witnesses say

Thai media reported that emergency services received the first calls shortly before midnight and that the fire spread rapidly. Mobile phone footage showed people fleeing the venue in panic.

Musicians who performed at the venue on Sunday evening said smoke first emerged from an electrical panel near the stage before the power went out. An explosion followed shortly afterwards, and thick smoke spread within seconds, the newspaper Thairath reported, citing witnesses. At least one member of the band is believed to have died in the fire.

Most victims appear to have fled towards the back of the building, near the toilets, where they became trapped. Governor Sittipunt said many people collapsed there, blocking escape routes for others. The majority of the victims were later found in that area, while others ran screaming from the front entrance as the pub became engulfed in flames.

The venue was completely destroyed, leaving soot-blackened walls, shattered windows and charred musical instruments and sound equipment inside. Police and forensic teams continued examining the site on Monday to determine the cause of the disaster.

Authorities have asked families to provide DNA samples to help identify the victims.

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