Bangkok music bar fire kills 27 as blocked exits come under scrutiny

Bangkok,UPDATED: Jul 13, 2026 16:26 IST

A huge fire tore through a music bar in Bangkok overnight, killing at least 27 people and leaving 73 injured, including 25 in critical condition, in the Thai capital's deadliest blaze in 17 years. The fire broke out shortly before midnight on Sunday at the Rong Beer Na Ladprao bar, and firefighters brought it under control about half an hour later.

Authorities said many of those who died were trapped inside as thick smoke spread through the single-storey building. Investigators are examining the cause of the fire, with police looking at possible problems with emergency exits, the use of flammable interior materials and electrical wiring above the performance stage.

Photos from the scene showed people running out of the bar as flames shot from the building and thick black smoke rose into the sky. Shoes dropped by those trying to escape were seen scattered outside. By Monday morning, the site had been sealed off as dozens of Thai forensic officers searched the burnt remains for clues. Street-facing windows had been blown out, and debris including charred television sets, speakers and an electric guitar lay on the pavement. Burnt tables, some still holding empty beer bottles, could be seen through the shattered windows.

Thai national police chief Kittharath Punpetch said most of the dead were found in windowless bathrooms near one of the rear exits, where they may have taken shelter from the flames in the hall. He said that exit had not been used, and people may have been unable to reach it because a table selling sweets had been placed in the hall or because it was too dark to find the way. He also said access to another exit near the kitchen may have been narrowed by shelving units and lockers, and there were signs that at least some exit doors might have been locked shut.

Kittharath said investigators were focusing on the ceiling above the stage, where they found materials that may have been used as decorations. Police will examine whether flammable materials were used inside the bar and how the electrical wiring was installed across the ceiling. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said a musician performing at the bar told him he saw smoke coming from a circuit breaker near the stage before the power went out. An explosion was then heard, and thick smoke quickly filled the bar. Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said most of the deaths were caused by smoke inhalation, and officials were working to identify victims because many were not carrying identity documents.

On Monday morning, Buddhist monks visited the site to pray for the victims, while nurses handed out face masks to people nearby because of smoke and fumes from the burnt building. A registration point was also set up to collect information from relatives searching for loved ones. Singer Sukanya Wongwongwai said she had been performing nearby when she heard about the fire and rushed to the bar because several of her bandmates had been performing there. She said one of them had died, three were in hospital and one was still missing. "From what I heard from people who were inside, when the fire started everything went dark. The power was out and there was smoke everywhere, so they couldn't locate other people," she said.

Distressed relatives later gathered at Bangkok's Institute of Forensic Medicine to identify the bodies. Through tears, a woman who asked to be identified only by her nickname, Nid, said she had identified the bodies of her daughter and son-in-law. She described her son-in-law as "a very good person, he worked very hard to earn money" and said her daughter had just graduated. "She recently started working as a computer teacher. And now they're dead," she said.

Keo Oudone Poungpany, 24, was also at the institute to identify his younger brother's body. The two migrant workers from neighbouring Laos were employed at the bar when the fire broke out. Poungpany said he had been using a restroom outside when the fire began. "I really don't know what happened," he said, adding that as he walked back towards the bar, he saw dozens of people running from the flames and heard terrifyingly loud noises. "The heat was unbearable, I couldn't get back in," he said. "For now, I want to bring my younger brother's body back home," said Poungpany. "I want to bring him home to my parents. My parents are waiting for their kids to come back together, but now one is gone."

The Bangkok fire is the country's deadliest blaze in 17 years. In 2022, 14 people were killed in a fire at a music bar in eastern Thailand. More than a decade earlier, 67 people were killed and more than 200 injured in a fire during a New Year's Eve celebration at Bangkok's Santika nightclub on January 1, 2009. Authorities are continuing to investigate the latest blaze as families wait for the victims to be identified.

With PTI Inputs

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