Deadly pub fire in Bangkok claims at least 27 lives

Bangkok: A huge fire engulfed a pub in Bangkok early on Monday morning, killing at least 27 people before firefighters brought the blaze under control, officials said.

Rescuers said the fire was reported around midnight. Footage shared online by first responders shows huge blaze raging out of the front door of the pub in the northern part of the Thai capital as people tried to flee, with thick black smoke pluming into the sky.

Thailand Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told reporters at the scene that 27 people died and several have been taken to the hospital. He said the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Firefighters 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 pub.

Thailand has seen similar tragedies in the past. In 2022, 14 people were killed by a fire at a music pub 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 January 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.