The death toll from a nightclub fire near the tourist city of Pattaya, one of the deadliest in Thailand in recent years, has risen to 17, a local rescue group said on Thursday.
“The 17th victim is a 40-year-old naval officer,” rescue workers from Sattahip district (east) announced on Facebook, citing the burns unit of Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok, where she died.
The incident occurred on the night of last Thursday to Friday at “Mountain B”, a nightclub about 180 kilometers southeast of the capital.
An initial relief report had reported 13 deaths on the spot and around 40 injured. Four other people later succumbed to their injuries.
Authorities in Chonburi province, where the tragedy took place, said Thursday that 29 people were still in hospital, including 15 on life support.
The owner of the establishment was arrested on Saturday, before a court released him on bail on Monday.
The presence on the walls of acoustic foam, supposed to isolate the building from outside noise, favored the spread of the fire, according to the rescuers.
According to the first elements of the police investigation, the “Mountain B” had received approval from the authorities to operate as a restaurant, but not as a nightclub.
Its owner denied in a press conference the allegations that an emergency exit had been locked that evening.
Basic safety rules are frequently ignored in Thailand, a popular destination for Western and Asian visitors.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha pleaded on Friday for tougher safety standards, highlighting the negative image that the fire sent abroad.
During New Year’s Eve on January 1, 2009 in Bangkok, a fire in a nightclub, the “Santika”, killed 67 people.