Workers carry a coffin of a pub fire victim after identification at the Institute of Forensic Medicine, Police Hospital, in Bangkok. (EPA Images pic)
BANGKOK: Grieving relatives of the victims of a huge Bangkok bar fire claimed their bodies Tuesday as the death toll rose to 30, even as others held out hope that missing loved ones were alive.
Flames tore through the Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao bar and restaurant in the Thai capital late on Sunday evening during a live music performance, sending people fleeing, several with their clothing ablaze.
Twenty-seven people were declared dead in the early hours of Monday, with another succumbing to their injuries later that day.
By Tuesday morning, Bangkok’s Chatuchak district office put the death toll at 30, with 75 people injured — 24 in critical condition.
Relatives of the dead gathered at Police General Hospital on Tuesday to claim the bodies of their loved ones, and AFP saw one man holding an incense stick over one of the coffins.
Booyaporn Sermsiri was at the hospital searching for her 25-year-old daughter, Jawaee “Cartoon” Sermsiri, who remains missing.
“Since we haven’t found her yet, we can only wait. We are holding onto hope,” she said.
She said Cartoon’s friend had called her early on Monday morning, saying there had been a fire and she couldn’t reach her.
Booyaporn, 51, said she had given a DNA sample and was told by police the result could come back later Tuesday.
“I am praying. Praying that she is alright,” she said.
Three of the dead have yet to be named, officials said.
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said shortly after the blaze that most of the victims likely died of smoke inhalation.
Forensic police have been scouring the wreckage as authorities seek to establish how the fire started and why it was so deadly, looking at a possible electrical fault and also whether emergency exits were blocked.
Several witnesses have said they saw smoke inside before midnight and the lights went out, followed by an explosion and intense flames that sent patrons fleeing.
Interior ministry official Unsit Sampuntharat said Tuesday that the venue’s license was also under scrutiny, amid questions over whether it was authorised to host live music.
Relatives also visited the blackened bar on Tuesday morning, laying garlands and praying for the dead, AFP reporters saw.
Nearby, employees of the Union shopping mall practised using fire extinguishers to put out flames within a controlled pit, under the guidance of firefighters.
Meanwhile, Reuters reported that authorities believe 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.
Outside Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao, some of relatives were still 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.
Thailand has experienced several big fires at entertainment venues, which are subject to fire safety inspections, though protocols are not always strictly adhered to.
“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.
