At least 27 people killed in Bangkok pub fire
It is one of the deadliest such incidents in the tourism hub in recent years
At least 27 people have been killed after a fire tore through a bar in Bangkok, Thailand’s prime minister has said - in one of the deadliest such incidents in the tourism hub in recent years.
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Firefighters were called to the venue in the city’s Chatuchak district just before midnight on Sunday, with flames said to have spread rapidly through the front of the building.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said 27 bodies had been recovered from the scene, while dozens more people were taken to hospital.
More than 60 people are being treated for injuries, according to local officials.
Footage shared on social media appeared to show flames blasting out of the front of the bar as terrified people ran from the building, with some screaming and falling over.
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Mr Charnvirakul said survivor accounts suggested the fire started near an electrical cut-out switch, before the blaze and smoke spread quickly.
He told reporters many people tried to escape through the back of the venue and hid in toilets to avoid the smoke and flames.
“That’s where we found most of the bodies,” he said.
Officials said firefighters were able to bring the blaze under control in around half an hour, but the damage was already devastating.
Local reports said the dead included nine men and 18 women, with a number of people also reported missing.
The bar, named locally as Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao, is described by Thai media as a popular restaurant and entertainment venue in the area.
A band member at the venue told local media that smoke suddenly filled the room after the lights briefly went out, followed by a massive explosion and fire.
"After the explosion, I didn't see anybody trying to run, most of them were on the floor asking for help," he told reporters, his head still bandaged, without giving his name.
"I ran towards the door from the stage, about five metres. It was dark and there was smoke, no oxygen."
Pictures from the scene after the fire was extinguished showed body bags lined up outside the building and a large police cordon in place.
Inside, the walls, furniture and ceiling were left blackened by the blaze.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.