At least 27 people have died in a massive fire at a pub in the Thai capital Bangkok on Monday morning. Dozens of people have been injured in the fire. The fire broke out at the Rong Bier Na Latprao pub in the northern part of the tourist area of ​​Bangkok in the middle of the night. Footage released by rescue workers from the scene shows a large plume of fire coming out of the pub's main door. People are also seen running for their lives. Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has confirmed that 27 people have died after inspecting the scene. He said the cause of the fire is under investigation. According to him, most of the bodies were found in a bathroom near an emergency exit at the back of the pub. Some of the people found there are unconscious. Therefore, officials suspect that the emergency exit may have been blocked. However, these issues will only be confirmed after a forensic examination. “Many people couldn’t get out because they went to the back of the building and tried to hide in the bathroom. They were hiding there to protect themselves from the smoke and fire. Most of the bodies were found in the bathroom,” Charnvirakul said.

Singer Sukanya Wongwongwai, who arrived at the scene, said she was performing near the pub when she heard the tragic news.

Some of her bandmates were performing at the same pub. “According to people inside, as soon as the fire started, everything went dark. The lights went out and there was smoke everywhere, so people couldn’t see each other,” she said.

Sukanya said one of her friends had died. Three were in hospital and one was still missing. Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said 63 people had been taken to hospital with injuries, 22 of whom were in critical condition.

Officials said the identification of the victims was ongoing. According to them, many of the victims did not have their identity cards with them. Some are in a state of unconsciousness. 

Firefighters brought the fire under control after about half an hour of effort. However, even after the fire was brought under control, the situation inside the pub was horrific.

Public photos show the tables and chairs inside the pub completely burned to ashes. A special center has been set up at the scene to collect information for family members searching for their relatives.

Thailand has experienced such tragic events in the past. In 2022, a fire at a music pub in the eastern part of the country killed 14 people.

A decade earlier, on January 1, 2009, a fire at the Santika nightclub in Bangkok on New Year's Eve killed 66 people and injured more than 200. The fire was started by fireworks set off inside the pub.

According to Bangkok's Disaster Mitigation Department, initial investigations indicated that the fire may have been caused by an electrical short circuit in an air conditioner.

However, the official cause has yet to be confirmed. Authorities have pledged to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation.

Suriyachai Rabwiyan, director of the Disaster Mitigation Department, said that most of the victims died of smoke inhalation. According to Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt, the fire may have spread rapidly due to decorative materials on the pub's ceiling. 

So far, 10 victims have been identified, of whom nine are Thai citizens and one is Laotian.

Kan Kuthirat, a Lao tourist who was inside the pub at the time of the incident, recalled the moment as terrifying. "I heard a lot of people screaming from inside. There was complete chaos and chaos," he said. "I have never experienced such a tragedy before." The scene is still fresh in my mind.’

Similarly, motorcyclist Surin Jaiharn said he saw flames shooting out of the pub’s door onto the street.

Surin, 45, helped pull five people out safely by wrapping them in cloth. “I am very disappointed. I saw so many people die and I don’t know what is happening to the people I helped save,” Surin told AFP. Another driver told AFP that he broke a window and pulled two people out safely.