Bangkok bar fire leaves 27 dead as terrified patrons flee venue in panic

Many more have been hospitalised

More than two dozen people have been killed after a massive fire ripped through a bar in the Thai capital, Bangkok.

Emergency services rushed to the scene in the Chatuchak District of Bangkok after it received reports of the fire at around midnight. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said at the scene that 27 bodies have been recovered from the bar, named locally as the Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao which was one of the most popular venues in the area.

The Mirror reports a group of people were seen standing at an outside bar before a sudden thick plume of smoke bursts from the entrance to the building. And then just a few moments later the flames erupt through the door and people attempted to escape.

People were seen rushing through the doors amid the ferocious flames with many screaming. Footage showed the horrific scene carry on for several minutes as people ran in panic and thick black smoke began to replace the flames.

A man also arrived with a fire extinguisher and attempted to tackle the blaze before emergency services arrived.

Images show first responders as a huge blaze raged out of the front door of the bar in the northern part of Bangkok as people tried to flee, with thick black smoke billowing into the sky.

Firefighters from the Phaholyothin, Phaya Thai, and Huai Khwang fire stations battled the blaze with three water hoses and they 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 bar as emergency services inspect the scene.

Emergency services arrived to find one person with burn injuries before realising the extent of the tragedy with many more people having reportedly been trapped inside. It is understood that some of the victims had rushed to the toilets at the bar for safety but then became engulfed by the flames.

Thailand has seen similar tragedies in the past. In 2022, 14 people were killed by a fire at a music bar in the eastern part of the country.

And more than a decade before that, 66 people were killed and more than 200 injured in a fire during a Jan. 1, 2009 New Year ’s Eve celebration at the Santika nightclub in Thailand’s capital. That blaze was apparently sparked by an indoor fireworks display.