Four killed, 11 injured in blaze at Thai resort disco

Published on 18/08/2012 00:00

RESCUERS carried four corpses out of a charred nightclub yesterday after an early morning blaze gutted the two-storey building on a Thai resort island popular with UK holidaymakers.

Eleven people were injured in the fire at the Tiger Discotheque, a bar and dance club on a street packed with pubs and restaurants in Phuket’s Patong beach area, the island’s main town.

Rescue crews pulled out the victims on covered stretchers. Beach sandals were scattered among the charred debris.

The nationalities of the four victims were not immediately known, police spokesman Major General Chanasit Wattanawarangkun said.

The injured comprised four French tourists and seven Thais.

An initial investigation indicated sparks from an electricity transformer near the club started the fire after heavy rains caused a brief black-out in parts of the island.

The fire is the latest deadly event to tarnish Phuket’s image as a tourist paradise.

A 60-year-old Australian tourist was stabbed to death on Phuket in June after two Thai men tried to steal her purse.

The blaze is likely to revive a debate about inadequate safety measures at shoddily-built nightclubs in Thailand.

A fire at the Santika nightclub in Bangkok killed 67 people on New Year’s Day, 2009.

More than 1,000 revellers were inside the club when an indoor fireworks display, set off after the countdown to the new year, ignited the blaze.

The owner was sentenced to three years in prison and found guilty of having caused the deaths without intent.

The verdict did not address allegations that police had turned a blind eye to safety violations at the club prior to the fire.​