BANGKOK, July 13, (v7n) – Investigators combed through the wreckage of a devastating fire at a Bangkok bar on Monday that killed at least 28 people, as relatives began the grim task of identifying the deceased.

More than 70 people were injured in Sunday evening's blaze on the outskirts of the Thai capital, officials said—the country's worst such incident in nearly two decades. Flames tore through the Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao bar and restaurant, bursting out of the entrance and sending patrons fleeing, many with their clothing burned or ablaze.

"Everybody was running, squeezing into each other," recalled Athipat "Ice" Wijarn, whose bandmates were on stage when the fire broke out around 11:00 pm. He noticed smoke from the circuit board behind them and, as he crawled toward the exit, "there was an explosion, and I got hit at the back of my head." The band's keyboardist and singer both died.

Kaew-udon Poungppany fought back tears as he described his desperate attempts to reach his younger brother, Phonepaseut Poungppany, 21, who perished in the fire. "I grabbed a fire extinguisher and sprayed it at the door... but I couldn't go any further. I heard people screaming," the 24-year-old Laotian national told reporters.

Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said the fire spread rapidly, reaching the ceiling, with smoke likely the main cause of death. It was the deadliest fire in Thailand since the 2009 Santika club blaze that killed 67 people.

National police chief Kitrat Panphet said most victims were found in the toilets, where they panicked in the dark. Police are investigating whether exit doors were accessible—one was obstructed by a shelf, allowing only one person at a time to pass—and examining the 50-year-old building's wiring and decorations that may have fueled the blaze. "We presume it is carelessness," Kitrat said.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who visited the scene, said initial inquiries suggested "blind spots" without visible fire escape routes and vowed no leniency if laws were broken.

Families gathered at hospitals across Bangkok, hoping to find loved ones or identify bodies. One elderly woman, Nid, lost her daughter and son-in-law, leaving her to care for their two young children. "Now I don't have any of them, only my two grandchildren who lost their parents," she said.

Survivors and rescuers described harrowing scenes. Motorbike taxi driver Surin Jaiharn, who helped about five people with burns, said: "I feel depressed. I saw many deaths and I do not know the fate of the people I helped."

Thailand's health and safety regulations, particularly in bars and nightclubs, have long raised concerns. In 2022, a fire at the Mountain B nightclub in Chonburi province killed 25 people. The government has promised financial support for victims, but relatives like Kanlayawat Banruangthong, who lost her cousin, said "no amount of money" could soften the blow. Kaew-udon waited to take his brother's body home, saying: "My parents are waiting for their son to return so the family can be together again."

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