At least 27 people have been killed in a fire that engulfed a pub in Bangkok, officials said.
Rescuers said the fire was reported at around midnight local time.
“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.
The fire caused extensive damage at the pub (Photo: Fire & Rescue Thailand)
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.
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.
Mobile phones of victims of a fire recovered from the blaze
Smoke rising from a fire in Bangkok (Image: Fire & Rescue Thailand)
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.
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.
Rescuers and others are seen inspecting the site
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 Reuters.