At least 27 people have been killed and 63 injured in a fire that engulfed a pub in Bangkok early on Monday morning, officials said.
Rescuers said the fire was reported around midnight.
Footage shared online by emergency services personnel showed the 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 billowing into the sky.
Thailand prime minister Anutin Charnvirakul told reporters at the scene that 27 people had died and several had been taken to hospital.
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He said the cause of the fire was under investigation.
Local media identified the venue as Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao.
Firefighters took about 30 minutes 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 1st, 2009, New Year’s Eve celebration at the Santika nightclub in Thailand’s capital.
That blaze was apparently sparked by an indoor fireworks display. – AP/Reuters
