At least 27 dead in Bangkok pub fire

At least 27 dead in Bangkok pub fire Musicians at the venue described "smoke from a circuit breaker near the stage followed by the power going out and an explosion", says Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul. BANGKOK: A fire in a pub in the Thai capital Bangkok killed at least 27 people late Sunday night (Jul 12), Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told local media. "Twenty-seven bodies were moved out, lifeless bodies. Some were sent to hospitals, we are checking their conditions," Anutin said in televised remarks from the scene of the blaze. The prime minister said musicians at the bar and restaurant venue on the outskirts of the capital described "smoke from a circuit breaker near the stage followed by the power going out and an explosion". "Most of the victims ran to the back, to toilets with no exit. It could be because of panic because there was fire and smoke in the restaurant," Anutin told reporters. "Smoke covered the area quickly," he added, citing preliminary reports from survivors. A Bangkok metropolitan administration official said 63 people were injured in the fire. Thai national police said in a social media post at around 2am Monday (1900 GMT) that the fire had been "brought under control". Authorities set up a perimeter with metal barricades and police tape outside the venue, AFP journalists observed. Exact details were not immediately clear, but the fire was believed to have started at the Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao pub in Bangkok's Chatuchak district, local media reported.