Death toll from Bangkok pub fire rises to 30 as police probe safety lapses

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - BANGKOK — Thai authorities are investigating if negligence was what led to the deadly inferno at a Bangkok pub late on Sunday, as survivors reported doors being locked and the lack of signage demarcating emergency exits.

The death toll from the fire has increased to 30 while more than 70 people remain hospitalized, with 24 of them in critical condition, according to Bangkok city officials.

The blaze at the Rong Beer Na Ladprao pub , the city’s deadliest in 17 years, broke out late Sunday in a northern part of the Thai capital.

The use of flammable materials as decoration may have facilitated the rapid spread of the fire, which originated near the stage, police said.

This "indicates a lack of caution and disregard for the safety of the patrons," Police General Kittiratt Phanphet said on Monday.

First responders found many of the victims in the restrooms at the end of the pub, from where experts believe they tried to flee but couldn't.

As of Tuesday morning, 27 of the deceased victims have been identified, authorities said.

Preliminary investigations suggest the blaze was caused by a short circuit in an air conditioner, which quickly cut power throughout the pub .

But several people who had visited the pub earlier have described it as a dark room even in its original state. Phatsara Khamloet, who visited in May, told BBC Thai she had to navigate a "winding route" to reach the bathroom, and noted that the exits were not well marked.

Busakorn Saensuk, a fire safety expert from the Engineering Institute of Thailand who inspected the aftermath at Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao, said the door near the restrooms was locked, while the two doors at the entrance were partially obstructed by furniture and other objects.

Customers would instinctively have run away from the fire, toward the back where the restrooms were, Busakorn told BBC Thai.

"But once they reached the back, they couldn't get out. If the emergency signs were lit, people would have been able to see how the door was locked and may have been able to unlock it," she said.

Busakorn also noted that the stage was decorated using highly flammable materials such as plastic flowers, while the ceiling was plastered with combustible foam.

Survivors have described the stage being engulfed in flames within seconds. Thai indie band Thotsakan, which was performing when the fire broke out, has lost two members to the tragedy.