A fire at a packed restaurant in Thailand’s capital, Bangkok, has killed at least 30 people around midnight local time, local media and officials reported.
The blaze erupted late Sunday night at Rong Beer Na Ladprao, a restaurant venue in the Ladprao area of the Chatuchak district, according to public broadcaster Thai PBS.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told local media that 30 bodies were moved out of the venue.
“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 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 were fire and smoke in the restaurant,” Anutin told reporters, adding that “smoke covered the area quickly,” citing preliminary reports from survivors.
