27 people killed in Bangkok pub fire: Evacuation hampered by blocked emergency exits

A fire at a pub in Bangkok, the Thai capital, has killed 27 people and injured dozens more, officials said today, Reuters reported.

The evacuation of guests, who were suffocating in smoke, was made difficult by blocked emergency exits.

A video of the incident, posted on social media and verified by Reuters, shows thick smoke billowing from the pub, followed by a powerful, horizontal jet of fire shooting out of the door as screaming patrons flee the premises around midnight local time on Sunday.

"We have found 27 bodies, while the rest have been taken to hospital," said Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who visited the crash site early this morning.

The incident at the Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao pub injured 63 people, 22 of them seriously, and they were hospitalized, said Suriyachai Raviwan, director of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration's Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department.

The pub is located in a busy area of ​​northern Bangkok, connected by the city rail, next to two shopping malls and within walking distance of cinemas, large parks and the Chatuchak weekend market, popular with foreign tourists.

According to initial estimates, the fire was caused by a short circuit in an air conditioner located in the ceiling, the emergency management authority said.

Based on survivors' accounts, officials said the fire is believed to have started in the front of the pub, near the stage, and spread quickly, sending many running toward the back of the building, where the kitchen and restrooms are located.

"There are two emergency exits, and one is near the kitchen. There were crates of beer in the way. We have to wait for forensics to inspect the scene in more detail," Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sitipunt told reporters, adding that there was a table in front of the second exit, which made evacuation difficult.

"Smoke was everywhere"

Firefighter Chakrit Kongkom, 45, said he arrived in the first fire engine to find the pub in flames, with a large number of patrons trapped inside. Several tried to escape through the back of the building. The few who managed to escape through the front entrance suffered burns.

"Smoke was everywhere. Most of the survivors were suffocating from the smoke," he said.

Footage from a body-worn camera worn by an emergency service member, seen by Reuters, shows firefighters wearing oxygen masks using flashlights to navigate the dark, charred remains of the pub, searching for survivors and victims.

Several victims are seen lying motionless on the floor near the toilet as rescuers bring in stretchers.

The footage also shows what appears to be the fire-damaged main room of the building, where the tables and bar stools are still recognizable.

"We sent a search and rescue team and found that a large number of people were in the toilet. Most were trying to escape towards the back, because they saw that the fire was in front," said Chakrit.

In the early hours of the morning, emergency services were still at the scene of the accident, while bodies were being prepared for transport and forensic teams were collecting evidence that could help identify the victims.

Numbered bodies lay in two rows waiting to be taken away, surrounded by a large number of rescue workers. Firefighters stood near the entrance to the pub, whose facade was scorched and blackened by the fire.

In the hours after the fire, Sukanja Vongvongvai waited outside the pub, searching for her missing friend. Survivors told her about the chaos inside.

"My friend, who was singing on stage, said that they first smelled burning, and then they soon saw that the ceiling was on fire. Some people were injured by parts of the ceiling that fell, because it seems that the ceiling was made of foam material for soundproofing," said 32-year-old Sukanja.