A number of foreigners were among the casualties from the blaze that erupted shortly after midnight at the Santika Club, which attracted a well-heeled crowd of Thais and foreigners in an entertainment district of Bangkok.

Hospital rosters showed that 13 foreigners being treated for injuries and one man, a Singaporean national, had died.

A statement from Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said that Thai authorities have informed its embassy in Bangkok that a Singaporean man was among the fatalities.

'Thai authorities have identified the Singaporean man who was a fatality in the Santika Pub fire as Teo Sze Siong,' the statement said.

MFA said it has been in contact with his next-of-kin and arranged for them to travel to Bangkok on Thursday evening.

The MFA also said it has been in contact with the next-of-kin of the two other injured Singaporeans who are in hospital.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Australia said three of its nationals were also among the hospitalised.

Relatives and friends gathered at Bangkok hospitals and outside the popular nightspot desperate for news of loved ones lost or injured in the inferno that gutted the two-storey building.

The blaze apparently broke out after a firework display at the Santika club in the Thai capital's Ekkamai district, a thronging entertainment hub which is frequented by locals and tourists.

'The police are working to find out what caused the fire,' said Police Lieutenant General Danaithorn Wongthai of the forensic science office.

'But this will take some time and we want to be certain about the findings.

If everything goes smoothly, Monday is likely to be the earliest day we get the answer.'

Police Lieutenant Colonel Prawit Kantwol earlier told AFP that the likely cause was a pyrotechnics show that accompanied the band.

Victims died from burns, smoke inhalation and injuries during the stampede to escape from the club, which had only one door for the public, police Major General Chokchai Deeprasertwit said. Firefighters said a door at the rear was known only to the staff, while an Associated Press reporter saw a third door at one side of the building.

Gen Chokchai said the fire may have been caused by firecrackers brought into the Santika Club by guests or sparks flying from a New Year's countdown display on the nightclub stage.

Video footage of the disaster showed bloodied, bruised and burned victims being dragged out of the burning, two-story club or managing to run through the door or shattered windows. The video - provided to AP Television News by rescue workers - showed flames racing through the entire building even as the rescue operation was going on.

'Everybody was pushing against each other trying to get out to the front door as quickly as possible. I saw people, particularly young girls, being pushed away and crushed underneath as others were stomping on them trying to get out,' said Mr Sompong Tritaweelap, who lives in an apartment behind the nightclub.

He said that fire engulfed the entire building within 10 minutes.

'People were screaming for help from every window. It was a terrible sight. Their hair and clothes were on fire but there was nothing they could do as the fire engulfed them,' he said.

The website of The Nation newspaper quoted one partygoer, Mr Somchai Frendi, as saying the blaze was caused by the countdown fireworks that ignited the second floor ceiling, which was made largely of soundproofing material.

Mr Sompong quoted a maid at the club as giving a similar account.

'Some of the sparks fell onto the carpeted floor as well. Within seconds, smoke was everywhere,' he quoted her as saying.

Lt Gen Jongrak said the initial investigation found that the club's safety system was 'sub-standard' but did not elaborate.

The club was packed with about 1,000 celebrants, police officers at the scene said. Rescue workers said most of the bodies were found in a pit area surrounding the stage.

The corpses, placed in white body bags, were laid out in rows in the parking lot in front of the club, which was strewn with shoes of the victims, water bottles, parking stickers and other debris.

The emergency workers said the rescue operation was delayed in part because of heavy traffic in the Ekamai entertainment district.

Firefighter Watcharapong Sri-saard said that in addition to a lack of exits, a number of staircases inside the club as well as bars across the second-floor windows made escape difficult.

An AP reporter who peered inside the still-burning building said everything in sight had been burned.

One website about Bangkok's entertainment scene described the club as attracting 'an affluent Thai student crowd, with Euro models and Westerners also popping in' with a 'whisky-sipping crowd all focused on a large stage'. Another site said the high ceiling and a cross in the main room made one feel 'like walking into a church'.

Just after dawn, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva visited the still-smoldering club but did not talk to reporters.

Safety regulations are often loosely enforced. Thailand passed a law in 1994 requiring motorcyclists to wear helmets, but bareheaded riders with policemen blithely looking on are a common sight on Bangkok's streets today. -- AP, AFP, REUTERS