Bangkok beer hall fire death toll reaches 32; all victims identified

The death toll from the devastating fire at the Rong Beer Na Ladprao entertainment venue in Bangkok's Chatuchak district has climbed to 32, with all victims now identified.

The chief of the Institute of Forensic Medicine, Pol Maj Gen Wiroon Supasingsiripreecha, said it is expected that all of the bodies will be released to their families by the end of today.

Of the total, 27 people died at the scene, while five others later succumbed to their injuries in hospital.

The institute was crowded today with grieving family members and relatives of the victims who came to collect the remains of their loved ones.

Among those whose bodies were collected was Pol Lance Cpl Sitthichok Butthithak, a Special Branch police officer who died in the fire.

His relatives and colleagues said he had served in the police force for just over a year, and that his body would be taken to his home province of Kalasin for funeral rites.

Friends also came to receive the body of Phrutthiphong Phudmon, keyboardist of the band Totsakan. They described him as a kind and generous person who was always willing to help others.

They said they tried unsuccessfully to contact him after learning of the fire, only to later discover that he had died.

Meanwhile, at Phaholyothin Police Station, an injured survivor, identified as Natthaphot, filed a complaint against those responsible for the incident.

He told reporters that he arrived at the venue with friends at about 10.30pm on the night of the fire and was seated near the stage by the front entrance.

Everything appeared normal until shortly before midnight, when he noticed white smoke emerging from the ceiling above the stage.

At first, he assumed it was part of the venue's stage effects because the band had just begun performing.

Moments later, however, he saw flames and smelled something burning. He immediately fled through a rear exit leading to the parking area.

The survivor said he never heard a fire alarm during the incident, but instead heard people inside thevenue shouting, "Fire!"

He also said he did not see the building's sprinkler system activate at any point. While escaping, he saw two security guards using flashlights to direct people toward the rear exit.

He said it was his first visit to the venue and that he had not noticed the location of the emergency exits beforehand.

He had visited the entertainment venue with three friends. One of them, Sitthiphong Chaiyo, was among those killed in the fire.

He said he filed the complaint to provide investigators with additional information to support the criminal investigation.

Meanwhile, investigators have already questioned 52 witnesses, including one business operator, 16 venue employees, 33 relatives and injured survivors, and two officials involved in examining the scene.

Investigators will now interview building and electrical system experts, as well as injured victims who remain hospitalised.

Police are also analysing footage from 16 CCTV cameras inside the venue after forensic officers successfully recovered video files from the venue's server.