Bangkok Pub Fire Kills 27

An explosive fire at a pub in Bangkok killed 27 people and injured 63 others, Thai officials said on Monday.

The blaze broke out around midnight at the Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao pub in the capital’s northern Chatuchak district. Twenty-two of the injured were in critical condition.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who visited the scene early on Monday, said: “We have recovered 27 bodies, others are being sent to hospital.”

An initial assessment indicated that an electrical short circuit in a ceiling-mounted air conditioner had started the fire. Officials said obstructed emergency exits hindered customers trying to escape the smoke and flames, although forensic investigators were still examining the scene.

(Reuters, im)