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The
cause of the fire is still unknown and all victims so far have
been identified as Thai nationals, police said. A separate
statement from the Chonburi emergency service described 14 of
the injuries as severe.
The fire at the Mountain B night club, about 180km southeast of
the capital Bangkok, started at about 0100 local time (1800 GMT
Thursday), Wuttipong Somjai, a superintendent at a local police
station, told Reuters by phone.
Local TV footage showed people fleeing the fire and emergency
workers putting out flames and looking through the burnt-out
premises, with shoes and bottles strewn across the ground.
A witness who went by the name Nana told local TV she was with
five friends when the fire broke out at the venue.
"I saw flames above the stage, on the right side. I think it was
about the same time at the singer on stage saw it too and he
shouted 'fire!' and threw the mic at it," she told broadcaster
PPTV. "I saw a lot of the pub's bouncers covered in fire
inside."
The incident comes 13 years after pyrotechnics started a blaze
at a New Year's party at the crowded Santika night club in
Bangkok, killing 66 people. Investigations into that fire found
several key breaches at the club, official corruption and
revealed lax attitudes towards safety at entertainment venues at
the time.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha on Friday assured victims'
families they would receive help from authorities and urged
entertainment venues nationwide to ensure they have proper
emergency exits and safety measures in place.
(Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat and Panu Wongcha-umWriting by
Ed Davies; Editing by Kanupriya Kapoor and Sam Holmes)
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