27 people have died in a devastating fire at a pub in Bangkok on Sunday evening; 63 people were hospitalised and 22 are in critical condition, with smoke being the main cause of death, according to Bangkok Governor Chatchart Sittipunt in statement picked up by EuroNews.
The fire broke at 23:00 local time, it is believed that the fire started as a result of a short circuit and spread in a matter of minutes because of the flammable interior decorations on the bar's ceiling. Most of the victims died because they ran to the toilets to the back of the bar, where there are no exits, with fire exits not clearly signalled. An emergency exit is believed to have been blocked as some victims were also found near the exit.
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Thailand has a dark history of fires in nightclubs and bars that put into question their health and safety regulations: in 2022, 25 people died of a fire in Thailand's eastern Chonburi province in 2022, and in New Year celebrations in 2009, 67 died and 200 were injured in a nightclub in Bangkok. More recently in 2024, 1,000 animals died in a fire in the open-air market of Chatuchak.