Rescue officials survey the scene of the nightclub fire in Bangkok, Thailand.Monday, January 05, 2009
BANGKOK, Thailand (CNN) -- Thai police charged a Bangkok nightclub owner on Monday in connection with a New Year's Eve fire that has claimed the lives of at least 64 people, police said.
The fire at the upscale Santika nightclub broke out early Thursday while about 1,000 revelers were ringing in the new year. At least 64 people have died from injuries sustained in the fire, police said.
Suriya Ritrabue, the main shareholder of the company that owned Santika, turned himself into authorities Monday morning, police said.
He was charged with allowing people younger than 20 into the nightclub, which is prohibited by Thai law, and criminal negligence, which carries up to a 10-year sentence, police said.
Authorities have said the nightclub wasn't properly equipped with safety devices, noting a lack of sprinkler and poorly displayed exit signs. There was no immediate response to the charges from Suriya or his representatives.
Most of the victims sustained severe burns and some fell into comas, police said.
Of the at least 40 identified fatalities, all but one -- a Singaporean -- were Thais. Hospital officials have said 41 of the 229 injured survivors were foreign nationals.
The blaze started near a stage where fireworks were being used as part of a performance on the club's closing night, police said.
The club is located in one of Bangkok's busiest commercial districts. Its Web site features images of bands and DJs performing on both indoor and outdoor stages, and says that it "innovatively blends the comfort of nature with the excitement of the Bangkok nightlife."
The site had has an advertisement for the club's New Year's party, which was named "Goodbye Santika."
The fire at the upscale Santika nightclub broke out early Thursday while about 1,000 revelers were ringing in the new year. At least 64 people have died from injuries sustained in the fire, police said.
Suriya Ritrabue, the main shareholder of the company that owned Santika, turned himself into authorities Monday morning, police said.
He was charged with allowing people younger than 20 into the nightclub, which is prohibited by Thai law, and criminal negligence, which carries up to a 10-year sentence, police said.
Authorities have said the nightclub wasn't properly equipped with safety devices, noting a lack of sprinkler and poorly displayed exit signs. There was no immediate response to the charges from Suriya or his representatives.
Most of the victims sustained severe burns and some fell into comas, police said.
Of the at least 40 identified fatalities, all but one -- a Singaporean -- were Thais. Hospital officials have said 41 of the 229 injured survivors were foreign nationals.
The blaze started near a stage where fireworks were being used as part of a performance on the club's closing night, police said.
The club is located in one of Bangkok's busiest commercial districts. Its Web site features images of bands and DJs performing on both indoor and outdoor stages, and says that it "innovatively blends the comfort of nature with the excitement of the Bangkok nightlife."
The site had has an advertisement for the club's New Year's party, which was named "Goodbye Santika."
1 comment:
Great post! Found another site which I must admit has come in handy: TravelMonks
They have a pretty good dynamic map of a lot of places and things, like this one on nightlife or this one on wireless internet places.
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