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“Most of the people who died were found in the toilets. When the fire broke out, they panicked. There were no lights,” national police chief Kitrat Panphet said.<\/p>\n
Kaew-udon Poungppany, 24, from Laos, fought back tears as he described trying to reach his younger brother, who did not survive.<\/p>\n
“I grabbed a fire extinguisher and sprayed it at the door… but I couldn’t go any further. I heard people screaming,” he told journalists.<\/p>\n
One survivor escaped by seconds after she stepped outside for a cigarette, Reuters news agency reported. “There was a boom \u2013 a very fast boom… There was no way to get out at all,” 41-year-old Usa Tadsree said.<\/p>\n
She described seeing rescuers carry out the body of a friend she was drinking and enjoying the music with, just minutes earlier.<\/p>\n
“I lost my mind,” she said. “It looked like she was asleep.”<\/p>\n
Preliminary investigations by Bangkok’s disaster mitigation department suggest the fire could have been caused by an electrical short circuit in an air conditioner, though no official cause has been given. <\/p>\n
Authorities have promised a thorough investigation.<\/p>\n
This is not the first time such an incident has occured in Thailand. <\/p>\n
Despite official promises to improve fire and electrical safety standards following previous incidents, they are still often poorly enforced.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n