Bangkok Bar Fire Kills 27

Bangkok. At least 27 people have died in a fierce fire at a bar in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand.

According to information given to the media at the scene by Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, 27 bodies have been recovered from the building where the fire broke out, and other injured people have been taken to the hospital.

When firefighters reached the scene after midnight on Sunday, customers were fleeing from the main door engulfed in flames. Videos released on social media platform X show flames erupting from the bar and people screaming and running away.

Some people fell in the stampede, and at least two people were clearly seen with flames on their bodies. Although firefighters brought the fire under control in about half an hour, by then significant damage had already occurred. According to local media, among the 27 who lost their lives, nine are men and 18 are women.

More than 60 people are being treated in the hospital, and some people are still missing, Thai media Thai Rath reported. The Prime Minister said that many people died of suffocation while trying to hide in the toilet by escaping from the back of the building immediately after the fire broke out.

Quoting a musician who was performing when the fire broke out, the Prime Minister said, 'The incident escalated very quickly after the fire started at the cut-out switch. There was an explosion and everyone started running to escape the smoke and fire.' He informed that most of the bodies were found inside the toilet.

The bar, named 'Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao', located in the Chatuchak district of Bangkok, is said to be a very popular restaurant and entertainment venue in the local area. The pictures released after the fire was controlled show rows of body bags placed outside the bar, while inside, furniture, walls, and the roof have been completely burnt.

Bangkok Governor Chatuchat Sittipunt, inspecting the scene, claimed that the fire spread rapidly due to flammable materials decorated inside the bar. Talking to the daily newspaper Daily News, he said, 'Initial reports suggest that shops selling chocolate and other goods blocked the emergency exit.'

However, he stated that forensic officials would have to conduct a detailed and official investigation into this matter. A driver walking by saw the fire at the bar at 11:30 PM local time. The driver said he got out of his car, broke the window glass, and managed to save two people. The main cause of the fire is currently under investigation.