Thai club fire: 13 people killed, 35 injured; blaze brought under control

A fire tore through a Thai nightclub early Friday killing at least 13 people and injuring 40, a rescue services official said.

The blaze broke out around 1:00 am (1800 GMT Thursday) at the Mountain B nightspot in Sattahip district of Chonburi province, about 150 kilometres (90 miles) south of Bangkok, an official from the Sawang Rojanathammasathan Rescue Foundation told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Video footage posted by the rescue service showed desperate revellers fleeing the club screaming, their clothes ablaze, as a huge fire rages in the background.

Firefighters brought the blaze under control after about three hours.

Concerns have long been raised about Thailand’s lax approach to health and safety, particularly in its countless bars and nightclubs. A massive inferno erupted at a New Year’s Eve party at Bangkok’s swanky Santika club in 2009, killing 67 people and injuring more than 200.

The Santika owner was jailed for three years over the blaze, which began when fireworks were let off as a rock band called Burn played on stage. More recently, four people were killed in a fire caused by an electrical fault at a club on the holiday island of Phuket, a magnet for foreign tourists, in 2012.