Bangkok calls for stricter inspections after 30 die from fire at live music pub

BANGKOK - The death toll from a devastating fire at a live music pub in Thailand's capital climbed to 30 on Tuesday, officials said, as Bangkok's governor vowed stricter inspections and police investigated possible negligence and safety breaches.

The blaze, one of the deadliest in recent years in Thailand, tore through the Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao pub in the city's northern Chatuchak area close to midnight on Sunday, with witnesses describing an explosion, a horizontal burst of fire and smoke engulfing the single-storey venue.

There were 24 people in critical condition on Tuesday and dozens more who were treated had been discharged. Three people hospitalised after the fire had since died, according to officials.

The pub, located at a busy intersection next to train stations and two shopping malls, is one of a cluster of similar bars often crowded on weekend nights, serving food, alcohol and offering live music and televised football.

Authorities say an electrical short circuit in a ceiling air conditioner could have triggered the fire in the pub, which underwent a safety inspection in April. Police are investigating whether exits were obstructed and the use of flammable materials for stage decorations and soundproofing.

"We've set up a committee to investigate the truth, what should be improved and what rules should be changed" Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt told a press conference on Tuesday.

"We will do more random checks."

Police said 34 people had been interviewed so far and charges would be considered after facts and evidence had been gathered. The owner is among those being treated in an intensive care unit.

'WE APOLOGISE DEEPLY'

At a Bangkok morgue on Tuesday, rescue workers were seen moving a coffin of one of the victims, surrounded by television cameras and a throng of reporters as emotional family members and friends arrived to collect the body.

Outside Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao, some of relatives were mourning those killed as forensics personnel gathered evidence from the scene.

The pub on its Facebook page apologised over the fire and said it was cooperating fully with the investigation.

"We apologise deeply over the very sad events that took place and express our condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and send our support to those injured," it said in a post that had hundreds of comments, many expressing anger and questioning its safety measures.

The pub did not answer calls or immediately respond to a request for comment on preliminary findings in the investigation.

Thailand has experienced several big fires at entertainment venues, which are subject to fire safety inspections, though protocols are not always strictly adhered to.

A nightclub fire in Chonburi killed at least 13 people in 2022 and 65 people died and about 200 were injured in a New Year's Eve blaze at a packed Bangkok club in 2009, where an investigation uncovered corruption and safety violations.

In Bangkok's famous Khaosan Road backpacker district packed with pubs and nightclubs and about 10 km (6 miles) from the site of the fire, visitors expressed sadness over the incident but said they had no concerns about safety.

"It doesn't worry us. All the places that we've been have been very safe," said Connor McLernon, 30, a tourist from Boston.

His travel companion, Patricia Bello McLernon, 31, said the fire was likely a one-off.

"It's just an unfortunate accident that happened and I don't think that should deviate anybody from visiting," she said.

-Reporting by Chayut Setboonsarng, Panarat Thepgumpanat, Napat Wesshasartar, Chalinee Thirasupa and Athit Perawongmetha; Writing by Chayut Setboonsarng and Martin Petty; Editing by Lincoln Feast/Reuters