BANGKOK — Survivors and relatives of those killed in a catastrophic bar fire in Bangkok made their way to a nearby police station on Wednesday, hoping to give statements, collect belongings, and begin the process of seeking financial compensation from the bar’s owners.
The blaze erupted on Sunday night at the Rong Beer Na Ladprao bar and has now claimed at least 32 lives, with two additional victims dying in the hospital since the fire. More than 70 people were hurt, and 24 of them remain in critical condition, according to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration.
Investigators are still working to determine what caused the fire.
According to police, many of those who perished were discovered trapped inside windowless bathrooms, locations where they had apparently sought refuge from the spreading flames.
The chief of the Institute of Forensic Medicine, Wiroon Supasingsiripreecha, told reporters Wednesday that the majority of victims died from inhaling smoke, while a smaller number succumbed to burn injuries.
One survivor, 26-year-old Natthaphong Lakhorn, was inside the bar that night with four friends. He had been seated close to the stage when the fire started. He recalled noticing white smoke drifting from the stage area, which he initially mistook for a dry ice effect used as a visual effect — until he realized it was the beginning of a fire.
