27 dead, dozens injured after fire in Bangkok pub

At least 27 people have been killed and 63 people were injured as a result of a fire that engulfed a pub in Bangkok, officials said.

Rescuers said the fire was reported at around midnight local time, but that the fire had already burned through the venue by the time they arrived.

"There are more than 27 dead," said Anwut Pho-ampai of ‌the Ruamkatanyu Foundation, which operates a voluntary emergency rescue service.

Footage shared online by emergency services personnel showed the blaze raging out of the front door of the pub in the northern part of the Thai capital as people tried to flee, with thick black smoke billowing into the sky.

Exact details ‌were not immediately clear, but the ⁠fire was believed ‌to have started at a pub ⁠in ‌Bangkok's Chatuchak district.

Local media identified the venue ⁠as Rong Beer Na Lat ⁠Phrao, described as a popular local venue.

Thailand Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told reporters at the scene that 27 people had died and several had been taken to hospital.

He said the cause of the fire was under investigation.

He told the media that musicians at the bar and restaurant venue described "smoke from a circuit breaker near the stage followed by the power going out and an explosion".

"Most of the victims ran to the back, to toilets with no exit. It could be because of panic because there was fire and smoke in the restaurant," the prime minister told reporters.

"Smoke covered the area quickly," he added, citing preliminary reports from survivors.

Firefighters took about half-an-hour to bring the fire under control, officials said.

Photos of the aftermath show charred tables and chairs, and the damaged interior of the pub.

Allthough this was one ⁠of the deadliest such incidents in the tourism hub in recent years, Thailand has seen similar tragedies in the past.

In 2022, 14 people were killed by a fire at a music pub in the eastern part of the country.

More than a decade before that, 66 people were killed and more than 200 injured in a fire during a 1 January 2009 New Year's Eve celebration at the Santika nightclub in Thailand’s capital.

That blaze was apparently sparked by an indoor fireworks display.

Additional reporting PA