Bangkok: A massive fire tore through a bar in Bangkok early Monday morning, killing at least 27 people, officials said.
Rescuers said the fire was reported around midnight (Thailand time).
Video footage shared online by first responders shows a huge fire breaking out at the front door of the bar in the northern part of the Thai capital as people try to flee, with thick smoke billowing into the air.
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told reporters at the scene that 27 people had died and several others had been taken to hospital. He said the cause of the fire is still being investigated.
It took firefighters about half an hour to bring the blaze under control, officials said. Photos of the aftermath show charred tables and chairs, and damaged bar interiors.
Thailand has seen similar tragedies before. In 2022, 14 people were killed in a fire at a music bar in the east of the country.
And more than a decade before that, 66 people were killed and more than 200 injured in a fire during a New Year’s Eve celebration on January 1, 2009. Santika night club in the capital of Thailand. The fire appears to have been sparked by a local fireworks display.
More to come
