Bangkok
CNN
—
14 people were killed and 35 injured in a nightclub fire early Friday morning. ThailandPolice said.
The fire broke out around 1 a.m. at the one-story Mountain B nightclub in Sattahip district of Chonburi province, southeast of Bangkok. and 30 kilometers (18 miles) south of the city of Pattaya, a popular tourist destination, Thai police said.
Police Colonel Wutipong Somjai told CNN that the fire broke out during a live concert. Burns range from “mild to severe”.
He confirmed that all the dead were Thai nationals. Rescue officials said one of the dead was a 17-year-old, the youngest fatality ever identified.
Colonel Somjoy said investigations into the cause of the fire are currently underway.
Natanid Bigulkaev said he was at a nightclub to celebrate his brother’s birthday and was in front of the stage when a woman ran up screaming that the roof was on fire.
Seconds later, she saw the speakers on stage burst into flames.
“Within a short time, the fire spread up to the ceiling,” he told CNN, adding that members of the audience scrambled to flee the club’s entrance.
“I saw people trying to break through the glass walls, but they were too thick,” he said.
Her brother suffered severe burns and is in critical condition; His friend died inside the building.
Rabon Namtam, a local musician who regularly performs at the nightclub on Monday evenings, told CNN that the venue opened two months ago and was popular with locals for its live band performances from 12pm to 1am. “Drink and go,” he said.
He said he was not in the nightclub when the fire broke out, but the front door was the only point of entry and exit for customers.
Musicians enter and exit through the back door, which is locked during performances, he said.
He said the nightclub’s ceiling was lined with highly flammable acoustic panels.
Namtham said the band Dave Wave was performing at the time of the fire, and that its replacement singer and keyboardist was among the dead. He said the drummer was on a ventilator on life support at a nearby hospital.
Photographs by local search operation rescue Sattahip showed badly burned seats inside the arena.
