A fire at a bar in Bangkok, Thailand’s capital, killed at least 27 people and injured dozens of others, local authorities said.
Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao, near the popular Chatuchak weekend market in the northern part of the city, exploded into flames late Sunday night, officials and witnesses said.
Preliminary investigations suggested the fire might have been started by electrical short circuits, and emergency exits appeared to have been obstructed, preventing people from escaping as thick smoke engulfed the building, Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt told reporters Monday.
Survivors told Thai news outlets that the fire started near a stage before spreading backward, forcing patrons to flee toward the kitchen and bathroom. Firefighters who arrived on the scene said they found many victims inside the bathroom.
After firefighters got the blaze under control, bodies were lined up on the street outside.
Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who inspected the venue Monday morning, said many patrons died from smoke inhalation.
The bar had licenses to operate, Chadchart said, but he added that “the condition during an inspection is not necessarily the same as during actual operation.”
Initial inquiries indicated that beer crates and tables may have blocked the emergency exits, Thai officials said.
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