An explosive fire at a pub in Thailand's capital Bangkok killed 27 people and injured dozens, officials said on Monday, with police investigating possible negligence including obstructed emergency exits as people scrambled to flee the burning venue.One video of the incident posted on social media and verified by Reuters showed thick smoke billowing out of the Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao pub, before an intense horizontal plume of fire jets out of a doorway, as screaming customers fled the premises around midnight on Sunday.
"Most of the victims ran to the back of the building, into the bathroom, and there was no clear sign of a fire exit," said Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who visited the site early on Monday.
Suriyachai Rawiwan, director of Bangkok's disaster prevention and mitigation department, said 63 people were injured, 22 critically.
The pub is located in a busy intersection in northern Bangkok, connected by its urban rail systems and adjacent to two shopping malls, within walking distance of cinemas, large parks and the Chatuchak weekend market that is popular in the daytime with foreign tourists.
The area has a number of bars with live music that are typically crowded on weekend nights.
