BANGKOK, Thailand — Thailand’s interior minister said Friday a Bangkok nightclub fire that killed about 60 New Year’s Eve partygoers could further damage the country’s image, already battered by widespread political protests.
The statement came as police investigated the cause of the fire and grieving families prayed for the spirits of their loved ones.
Police Maj. Gen. Jongrak Jutanont said authorities were focusing on whether the blaze was sparked by a countdown fireworks display organized by the club owners or by firecrackers brought in by guests.
A Singaporean was among the dead, while injured foreigners were from Australia, Belgium, Britain, France, Japan, Singapore, South Korea and the United States, according to officials and reporters.
Interior Minister Chavarat Charnvirakul said the blaze could further damage the country’s image, already hurt by months of anti-government protests that culminated in an occupation of Bangkok’s airports. The unrest has crippled the country’s essential tourism industry at a time when the economy was already sagging amid the global financial meltdown.
“It’s about the lax law enforcement which we need to strengthen,” he told reporters while visiting victims at Chulalongkorn Hospital. “I really don’t want this to happen because it came from carelessness.”
The fire broke out shortly after midnight and raced through the jammed two-story club, trapping many as they tried to flee through one main door.
Nicole Trau, an Austrian woman who survived the blaze, told the Austria Press Agency that her group initially thought the fire was part of the festivities.
“At the beginning, it was really small, and we thought it was part of the show,” Trau, who escaped injury, was quoted as saying. “But then it started looking extremely hot, and we knew something wasn’t right. Within minutes, the entire upper floor was in flames.”
No charges related to the fire have yet been filed, but the owner, Thai-Chinese businessman Wisuth Setsawat, was initially charged with allowing underage customers into the Santika Club, Jongrak said.
The government’s insurance commission said it was likely that the club had not renewed its fire insurance.
Radio Thailand gave the death toll Friday as 58 while some Thai media said 59 had died.
