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38873
Mon, 01/05/2009 - 11:57
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http://m.oananews.org//node/38873
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Bangkok nightclub blaze toll rises to 64
BANGKOK, Jan 5 (TNA) - A japanese reveller succumbed to severe burns from the New Year's Eve inferno at a luxury nightclub in a prime Bangkok entertainment venue late Sunday, bringing the death toll to 64, a senior public health ministry official said on Monday.
Dr. Chatree Charoentheerakul, Secretary-General of the Institute of Emergency Medical Services, said Keiichi Wada, 25, was pronounced dead at 9.05pm at Chulalongkorn Hospital, four days after the fire at the Santika Club on Ekamai Road shortly after midnight on New Year's Day.
By early Monday, 68 of the injured victims were still receiving treatment in various hospitals, 35 in intensive care units, according to Dr. Chatree.
Police General Jongrak Jutanont, Deputy National Police Commissioner, said the investigators had interviewed survivors to establish the cause of the blaze, which was yet to be concluded.
Police did not rule out the possiblility that the cause of the fire could have been caused by either stage effects used by the club, or fireworks lit by a customer, Gen. Jongrak said.
Suriya Rit-rabue, managing director of White & Brothers (2003) Co and registered owner of the pub, will face charges of recklessly causing other people's deaths and allowing customers aged under 20 into the pub, as a 17-year-old high school student was found among the dead, Gen. Jongrak said.
The major partner of the Santika Club, Wisuth Setsawat, said he had initially compensated relatives of 11 of the dead Bt20,000 each and had collected money totalling Bt2 million from 12 other partners of the club to be distributed to the next-of-kin of the fatalities and those survivors who were injured.
A centre will be set up Monday to accept donations aimed at assisting inferno victims, Mr. Wisuth said, insisting that the incident would leave his partners and him unable to claim insurance money because their coverage had expired four months ago and they did not renew it. (TNA)
Dr. Chatree Charoentheerakul, Secretary-General of the Institute of Emergency Medical Services, said Keiichi Wada, 25, was pronounced dead at 9.05pm at Chulalongkorn Hospital, four days after the fire at the Santika Club on Ekamai Road shortly after midnight on New Year's Day.
By early Monday, 68 of the injured victims were still receiving treatment in various hospitals, 35 in intensive care units, according to Dr. Chatree.
Police General Jongrak Jutanont, Deputy National Police Commissioner, said the investigators had interviewed survivors to establish the cause of the blaze, which was yet to be concluded.
Police did not rule out the possiblility that the cause of the fire could have been caused by either stage effects used by the club, or fireworks lit by a customer, Gen. Jongrak said.
Suriya Rit-rabue, managing director of White & Brothers (2003) Co and registered owner of the pub, will face charges of recklessly causing other people's deaths and allowing customers aged under 20 into the pub, as a 17-year-old high school student was found among the dead, Gen. Jongrak said.
The major partner of the Santika Club, Wisuth Setsawat, said he had initially compensated relatives of 11 of the dead Bt20,000 each and had collected money totalling Bt2 million from 12 other partners of the club to be distributed to the next-of-kin of the fatalities and those survivors who were injured.
A centre will be set up Monday to accept donations aimed at assisting inferno victims, Mr. Wisuth said, insisting that the incident would leave his partners and him unable to claim insurance money because their coverage had expired four months ago and they did not renew it. (TNA)
