Three foreigners die in hotel fire in Bangkok’s backpacker district
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A fire broke out on the fifth floor of the six-storey Ember Hotel, Bangkok's Fire and Rescue Department said.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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BANGKOK - Three people from the United States, Brazil and Ukraine were killed after a fire broke out at a hotel near Bangkok’s popular backpacker district on the night of Dec 29, the authorities said, with seven others being treated in hospital.
A fire broke out on the fifth floor of the six-storey Ember Hotel, Bangkok’s Fire and Rescue Department said. The hotel is near the Khao San area of Bangkok that is known for its bars and hostels.
A Brazilian woman died at the scene and two men, an American and a Ukrainian, were pronounced dead in hospital, police said in a statement on Dec 30, adding they were investigating the cause of the fire.
“The authorities reacted quickly and the fire alarm sounded, but the smoke was fast,” Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt told reporters late on Dec 29.
There were 75 people in the hostel, 34 of whom were rescued from the rooftop, he said in a statement on Dec 30. He has ordered a city-wide inspection of fire escape routes in hotels and entertainment venues. “We have to build confidence and take care of tourists,” Mr Chadchart said.
Tourism is a key driver of South-east Asia’s second-largest economy. Thailand recorded 32 million foreign tourist arrivals from Jan 1 to Dec 1, up 28 per cent from a year earlier, and they spent 1.5 trillion baht (S$60 billion).
In 2019, before the pandemic, visitor numbers reached a record of nearly 40 million. REUTERS
