The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) reported yesterday morning the toll from Sunday night’s pub inferno had risen from the initial 27 to 30 deaths. The three latest deaths had all been listed as suffering from serious injuries and already had been identified, reports the Bangkok Post.
The number of seriously injured was now given as 24, with 15 more classed as suffering moderate injuries. All were still being treated at various hospitals.
Doctors had released another 36 people who suffered minor injuries, according to City Hall.
The pub blaze began at 11:57pm on Sunday.
Investigators are still trying to determine the exact cause of the deadly fire, and suspect that closed, blocked and unlighted emergency exits trapped pubgoers inside the building. Many bodies were found inside and near the door to the toilets
The building housing the pub in Chatuchak district was constructed in 1970 as a standalone structure and obtained licences to sell food and provide musical entertainment.
The Chatuchak district office has closed the building to the public for an initial 30 days, from Monday, while the investigation continues and the fire-ravaged building’s structural integrity is tested for safety issues.
According to authorities, an electrical short circuit in a ceiling air conditioner could have triggered the fire in the pub, which underwent a safety inspection in April. Police are investigating whether exits were obstructed and the use of flammable materials for stage decorations and soundproofing.
Governor vows tighter regulations
“We’ve set up a committee to investigate the truth, what should be improved and what rules should be changed” Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt told a press conference yesterday.
“We will do more random checks.”
Police said 34 people had been interviewed so far and charges would be considered after facts and evidence had been gathered. The owner is among those being treated in an intensive care unit.
Pub owner apologises
At a Bangkok morgue on yesterday, rescue workers were seen moving a coffin of one of the victims, surrounded by television cameras and a throng of reporters as emotional family members and friends arrived to collect the body.
Outside Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao, some of relatives were mourning those killed as forensics personnel gathered evidence from the scene.
The pub on its Facebook page apologised over the fire and said it was cooperating fully with the investigation.
“We apologise deeply over the very sad events that took place and express our condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and send our support to those injured,” it said in a post that had hundreds of comments, many expressing anger and questioning its safety measures.
The pub did not answer calls or immediately respond to a request for comment on preliminary findings in the investigation.
Thailand has experienced several big fires at entertainment venues, which are subject to fire safety inspections, though protocols are not always strictly adhered to. A nightclub fire in Chonburi province killed at least 13 people in 2022 and 65 people died and about 200 were injured in a New Year’s Eve blaze at a packed Bangkok club in 2009, where an investigation uncovered corruption and safety violations.
In Bangkok’s famous Khaosan Road backpacker district packed with pubs and nightclubs and about 10 kilometres (six miles) from the site of the fire, visitors expressed sadness over the incident but said they had no concerns about safety.
“It doesn’t worry us. All the places that we’ve been have been very safe,” said Connor McLernon, 30, a tourist from Boston.
His travel companion, Patricia Bello McLernon, 31, said the fire was likely a one-off.
“It’s just an unfortunate accident that happened and I don’t think that should deviate anybody from visiting,” she said.