Fire At Santika Night Club

[animatic]

Lucifer's is a prime fire trap if there ever was one.... every time I have been in there I comment that if a fire ever started here we'd be fked.

So, why do you go there?

If potential customers boycotted venues with obvious safety problems, things would soon get fixed.

Sadly it seems too few people understand the dangers of flash fire in some of these places.

All 'club image' and fire-proofing be damned.

Or they don't care, or from:

Supersition about acknowledging danger.

Belief in too many lucky amulets;

like too many psyco mini-van drivers.

Belief in reincarnation.

Lack of inquisitive education.

If you never thought to think about flamable things beyond

gas for the bike and candles, what do you understand about

room furnishings in trendy clubs?

Sure some people know this stuff, but way too many are clueless.

Edited January 1, 2009 by animatic

[kat]

I've been in Santika's and know people in Bangkok who could've very well have been in there last night. I will feel very nervous until I hear from them. I never thought about it while I was in there partying and numbed by a few drinks, but that place is a total fire trap. There are multiple stories and the main crush of people is very far away from the exit. I cannot believe anyone would light fireworks indoors, nevermind in a space like that with so many people present.

My condolences to all. I want my friends to get in contact with me as soon as possible.

[grantbkk]

People pay their money and expect a degree of safety

add into the mix selective enforcement of regulations and standards and the lack of awareness by people in crowded places and its a wonder that these things arent happening more frequently.

Its all in the "odds" of it happening and since we know full well that these "Clubs" overcrowd at EVERY opportunity which really is not that high in frequency, then throw into the mix the, what I call, "Numbskull Factor" ~ in this case the adding of fireworks as a "multiplier" increases the probability for catastrophe exponentially; man, its not rocket science !

No one living in Thailand can be surprised by this tragedy. Expat are truly on their own when it comes to safety. The only thing that makes us feel safe is the fact that we haven't personally become a victim yet. Due to the global economic downturn crime will be on the rise everywhere. Here in Thailand expat can be sure that we will be targeted because we are view as prosperous compared to the locals. Fire life safety is truly a joke. Many of the volunteers truly mean well but lack the training and equipment prevents them from quickly arriving at a disaster, deploying and begin rescue operations.

Business owners who block the doors or lock them so people cannot leave without paying their tab should be quickly and publicly dealt with for code violations. Life appears cheap here in the Land of Smiles and these business owners only see the financial bottom line. I wonder how many people got out of the basement VIP area? Fireworks inside a crowded nightclub? Priceless.

[raro]

I'm truly shocked...this was one of my favourite places in bkk, been there just a week ago on Christmas eve. If I was at the TV part in BKK last night, Santika might have well been on my shortlist for more partying later on...

What shocks me even more is, I considered Sanitka as relatively safe compared to other discos I've seen. Lucifer's for instance I would never put a foot into....

Condolences to the relatives and friends of the victims! Let's hope that there will be eventually some awareness of safety issues in public places!

[troy04]

Of course, what you expect?

not only this place. 1 door/no emergency exits would never be approved in western countries.

part of the deal going to such places in this country. sad to say.

when I think it over then I can't think of a thai pub or disco I am a regular which has (obviousely) emergency exits.

troy

bkk

Main story on BBC news. Jonathan Head reported "safety procedures are largely ignored" and clubs make "payoffs to police for protection".

RIP all those poor souls.

[imaneggspurt]

I was in manhattens night club in Phnom Penh about a year ago when suddenly a speaker tower on the stage burst into flames,those that tried to rush out were blocked by security, i asked why the hel_l was that and was told " they not pay bin " .as it happens it was put out quickly, but i wonder if the thai mentality is the same, let em out and we lose money,.

[STEELINOX]

Of course, what you expect?

I would expect people, no matter what language or country you are in to have the ability to add and that means: LOTS OF PEOPLE IN CROWDED ENCLOSURE + A SINGLE POINT OF ENTRY/EXIT + STUPID ACTS OF NEGLIGENCE "SURE TO HAPPEN" + A GUARANTEE THAT NO OFFICIAL WILL "POP IN" FOR A SPOT INSPECTION + YOUR OWN INABILITY TO COMPREHEND ANY OF THE ABOVE B/C YOU WILL BE RIPPED OUT OF YOUR MIND FROM TOO MANY SINGHA'S OR WHITE RUSSIANS = A PRETTY HIGH PROBABILITY THAT CHAOS AND CATASTROPHE CAN HAPPEN TO YOU SHORT OF YOURSELF WINDING UP IN A GUTTER IN A POOL OF YOUR OWN CHUM !

[BkkAnimalover]

Any additional details about Nationality and Names ? I do not find any list ( even not complete ) about it also regarding the injured.

[TukTukDriver]

Santika Club at Ekamai was on fire during the New Year celebration - early reports have at least 50 injured, and up to 50 dead.

I could see the flames from my window - needless to say they were fierce.

Where is Santika located in BKK?

Sukhumvit Soi 63, near the Ekamai Skytrain stop

[taxexile]

From Times OnlineDecember 31, 2008

British school teacher killed in Bangkok nightclub inferno

(Sakchai Lalit/AP)

At least 59 people died and over 180 were said to be injured in the blaze

Anne Barrowclough, Sydney

A British school teacher is believed to be among the victims of a blaze that gutted a Bangkok nightclub last night, killing 59 and injuring at least 180.

The fire, probably set off by fireworks, swept through the crowded Santika club shortly after revellers saw in the New Year.

Witnesses said some 800 people were packed into the Santika club when they heard a loud explosion.

According to police, many of the victims died in the ensuing stampede as they tried to escape from the club, which had only one door for entry and exit. Most of the bodies were found in the basement.

Early this monring a distraught British man who identified himself only as 'Mark' left a bunch of white roses at the scene of the fire, telling The Times they were for his friend, a 34 year old woman, who had died as she tried to flee the flames.

He refused to give any more detail but other witnesses described the scenes of chaos after the fire broke out.

"Everything went boom and people started running. The fire went very quickly," said Tos Maddy, a Thai guest. "We were all dancing and suddenly there was a big flame that came out of the front of the stage and everybody was running away," said Oh Benjamas, another witness, who added that clubbers were given sparklers shortly before midnight.

"People started running for the doors and breaking the windows," she added.

Others described flames licking the ceiling before it caved in. "I was in the bathroom and when I walked out, I saw flames in the roof and it fell to the floor," said Montika Boontang, 28.

Andrew Jones, a British teacher in Bangkok who arrived at the club shortly after the fire erupted, said he saw corpses charred beyond recognition, and people with burns over 90 percent of thei bodies fleeing the club.

"Bodies, some of them probably alive, were falling off the stretchers as the rescue workers rushed them away. The flames were glowing through the broken glass windows," said Mr Jones. "A part of the building had already collapsed," he said.

Police Major-General Chokchai Deeprasertwit said the fire might have been caused by firecrackers brought into the Santika by guests or by sparks flying from a New Year's countdown display on the nightclub stage.

"It appears that the fire started from the area of the stage where a band was playing," said Lieutenant Colonel Prawit Kantwol, another police officer. "There were some pyrotechnics and it appears that they started the blaze."

Dozens of bodies wrapped in white cotton sheets lay on the pavement as fire crews moved in to douse the smouldering embers of the club on Ekkamai, a thronging entertainment district frequented by rich Thais and tourists. It was not immediately clear if any foreigners were among the dead. Police said the injured included holidaymakers from Australia, Japan and the Netherlands.

Many of the bodies were charred beyond recognition and the blaze had completely gutted the building. Rescue teams used pick-up trucks to ferry the corpses from the scene.

Thanat Wongsanga, deputy chief of the nearby Thong Lor police station, said the cause of the blaze had not yet been determined although local media said an electrical fault was probably to blame. Police superintendant Suthin Suppuang said 128 people had been injured.

Bangkok's nightspots, some of which can accommodate several thousand people, have often been the subject of safety concerns although they have been incident-free for the last five years.

The Thai capital was hit two years ago on New Year's Eve by a series of small explosions in which several people were killed and dozens injured. The blasts were blamed variously on fallout from the 2006 coup against Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and Muslim militants who have waged a separatist rebellion in Thailand's southernmost provinces since 2003.

Edited January 1, 2009 by taxexile

[Scott]

I always stay home on New Year's Eve. Too many close calls and too many crowded places.

Years ago I used to go to a disco, but got nervous about the safety and quit going--except on weeknights when it wasn't crowded. Very, very small entrance, no emergency exit and emptied onto a very, very small soi--no way for any vehicles to get in.

[brahmburgers]

Imagine if you were in a club like that, before the tragedy, and you asked the Thai folks you were with, "where are the exits? Is there any plan for escape in case of a fire?"

Here's the types of replies you'd get from your Thai friends:

>>> "Oh you farang, always worry worry."

>>> "oh, come on, it's party, let's have fun. Why so serious all da time?"

>>> "no ploblem, everything ok. If you worry, then you make it happen. Law of karma, come on have drink, relax."

>>> "Why you always find fault with Thailand? You dink always problem. No problem now. everyding be ok."

......similar types of responses you get when you start to put a seatbelt on with a Thai driver at the wheel. ...or when you ask your Thai passenger to put his/her seatbelt on.

regardless, such a sad and painful way to go. condolences all around.

[k1w1]

If most of the bodies were found near the stage does that also mean that the performers were also trapped?

I'm guessing that several stars were on stage at midnight.

[WAERTH]

Dutch papers report at least one Dutch person died in the blaze, possibly more ....

http://www.ad.nl/buitenland/2881646/Een_of...en_Bangkok.html

[Africanteacher]

Where is Santika located in BKK?

Santika is located along Thonglor street off Sukhumvit.

[wormdrive]

Count is 59 now, and will probably be understated for sometime to come.... damage control.

Very strange that they were able to full investigate that the fire was not arson. Usually this takes a lot of forensic work and interviews.

Source

Nationmultimedia

Edited January 1, 2009 by wormdrive

[montrii]

I was playing in the band at another club, also crowded and with only a front exit, as far as I know. Scary, but I wasn't scared, because the thought of a tragedy never entered my mind Had no idea of this happening at Zantika, but when driving home heard lots of sirens. This, I believe, is not the first time this has happened here. Safety regulations are a drag for builders, but they've got to be put in place! This is one aspect of Western civilization the LOS should get hip to, and quick.

[JUDAS]

A night that should be filled with fun and looking to the future ends in tragedy. My thoughts are with the injured and families of the victims. RIP

[troy04]

you could see the flames but don't know here it is? hmmm

ekkamai is sukhumvit soi 63

google it:

http://www.santikaclub.com/home.php

Santika Club at Ekamai was on fire during the New Year celebration - early reports have at least 50 injured, and up to 50 dead.

I could see the flames from my window - needless to say they were fierce.

Where is Santika located in BKK?

[kennkate]

Unfortunatly for All

A FIREwall on the Internet More important to Thailand Very Sad but a Fact

[patsfangr]

This tragedy eerily reminds me of the fire in a New Jersey nightclub about 15 years ago that also killed several hundred people. The cause of that fire was fireworks that set a stage curtain on fire. So it just doesn't happen in Thailand. But in the United States, at least, laws were enacted to prevent this from ever happening again. We will see if this follows suit in Thailand.

Yes, pass a law in Thailand. That will stop such tragedies. Those with the money to do so, simply pay off those charged with enforcing them. In other cases, those charged with enforcement simply ignore the laws (helmet law, anyone?).

Thailand is what it is. It will literally take several generations to change the culture; and, until the culture changes, there is no hope for serious improvement in things like safety regulations.

That said, I hope that the government will prove me wrong. In this specific case, as some others have suggested, the owner of this club should be charged with negligent manslaughter (or whatever Thai charge may equate to it), and be punished with a jail sentence of at least 20 years. It's not a matter of revenge. The victims can't be brought back. It's a matter of demonstrating to all business owners that THEY are responsible for taking reasonable measures to ensure the safety of their employees and customers inside their buildings. Such action could literally save lives. Let's not forget that the government officials who have, thus far, failed to create and enforce such regulations, SHARE THE BLAME for this tragedy with the club owner!!

[raro]

Imagine if you were in a club like that, before the tragedy, and you asked the Thai folks you were with, "where are the exits? Is there any plan for escape in case of a fire?"

Here's the types of replies you'd get from your Thai friends:

>>> "Oh you farang, always worry worry."

>>> "oh, come on, it's party, let's have fun. Why so serious all da time?"

>>> "no ploblem, everything ok. If you worry, then you make it happen. Law of karma, come on have drink, relax."

>>> "Why you always find fault with Thailand? You dink always problem. No problem now. everyding be ok."

......similar types of responses you get when you start to put a seatbelt on with a Thai driver at the wheel. ...or when you ask your Thai passenger to put his/her seatbelt on.

regardless, such a sad and painful way to go. condolences all around.

this is unfortunately very very true! Heard all of the above before.

[redscouse]

the nation

Fire broke out at popular Santika Pub in Ekkamai Soi 9 (Sukhumvit 63) Wednesday night, killing nearly 60 people celebrating the New Year countdown and injuring many others, police said.

Deputy Police Commissioner-General Pol Lt-Gen Jongrak Juthanon said most of those killed were foreigners. He said they were tourists from Nepal, Austria and Japan.

However, there were about 30 bodies that were "very difficult to idenfity".

TV Channel 7 reported that at least 59 people were killed and more than 200 injured.

TV footages showed the entire three-storey structure, which covered hundreds of squaremetres, on fire. Tearful revellers were being comforted by friends.

Firemen were alerted shortly after midnight but when they arrived at the three-story building, pandemonium was already breaking out with hundreds of people scrambling for their lives. Charity foundations' workers were trying to bring New Year celebrators out the narrow front door one by one.

A lot of people remained trapped inside the most popular pub in the area when the firemen arrived, screaming for help.

It took two hours to bring the blaze under control. Police said at least 54 people were killed and scores were injured.

It was believed hundreds were inside the popular pub. Some pub workers told police that the fire was likely caused by firework explosions which set alight the publ's interior which housed many inflammable materials.

One pub worker told reporters that the explosions were heard shortly after the New Year countdown ended. "After the explosions, someone shouted 'Fire!"," the pub worker said.

Fire started on the top floor and spread quckly, the pub worker said. The quick smoke caused immediate panic, sending people scrambling to the front door where they had come in. Most of them were unaware there were three other exits, the pub worker said.

The exact number of people injured remained unknown. Many have been sent to 14 hospitals including Ramkhamhaeng, Bangkok, Kluaynam Thai 2, Vipa-Ram hospitals.

The pub worker said up to 1,000 people could have been inside when the fire broke out.

One man, Somchai Frendi, who was inside the pub when the fire broke out, said the blaze was caused by a "special-effect" firework to usher in the New Year. It made the ceiling, which was made largely of inflammable sound-proof materials, catch fire which spread very quickly.

The fire and smoke sent people on the second floor scrambling downstairs while those on the ground floor also rushed for the door. But with most people knowing only one exit _ through which they had come in _ they crammed the space and the results were deadly.

The pub's promotion poster called the New Year Party "Goodbye Santika", apparently because the pub owner was planning to move to a new venue as the lease on the property could not be extended.

Those who died either suffered severe burns or were suffocated by smoke, police said.

Police Commissioner-General Pol Gen Phatcharawat Wongsuwan Thursday ruled out arson, saying nobody would have intended to cause so huge casualties. Deputy police chief Jongrak said one of the owners of the pub was also injured in the incident.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration said there did not seem to be legal questions regarding the construction of the pub.

Those who used to go to the pub were engaged in heated discussions in various web boards and some of the debates were focused on the narrow entrances and exits or Santika and other similar pubs.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

seems like the police are happy to shift any blame from the owners since one of them was injured also the comment about arson being ruled out as "no one would have intended to cause so huge casualties". seems there is a desire to get rid of deliberate fire/insurance claim right from the get go.

well it's best for the police to not speculate in this way, it seems a a very immature way of policing. it would appear to have been caused by massive negligence rather than by a deliberate act but such foolish comments from the police show a desire to protect the owners already. also the BMA have said there was no problems regarding the construction of the pub.

not many people in thailand have carpets but there must be a massive one somewhere for all the shit to be swept under.

R.I.P to all those unfortunates who lost their lives. when will Thailand wake up and end the corruption that allows things like this to happen, from the lowest policeman after tea money to the very top of government they should all be hanging their heads in shame this morning because their corruption at all levels allows things like this to happen.

Get the truth out Thailand, stop worrying about losing face, you have no face left to lose

[Zodiac]

Shocking and a disgrace.

Will the "authorities" prosecute the people who are responsible?

[taxexile]

and from another expat web board comes this predictable gem.

Originally Posted by buriramboy The misses just translated something for me on Thai Rath and she says it's saying it was farangs lighting fireworks in the bar.

[STEELINOX]

Safety regulations are a drag for builders, but they've got to be put in place!

You're right and it really shouldn't be looked at as a "drag" because when you build things and "add safety features" it costs money and this is incorporated into the cost of building a venue like this. With "cover charges" reaping huge profits to these places the cost of safety is negligible and will never ever be noticed until something like this happens and your numbers of deceased drops from 60 to a few. Its good business to not cut corners on the lives of your patrons...

Edited January 1, 2009 by STEELINOX

[PuaSai]

There was a similar incident in Massachusetts several years ago when stage fireworks set a night club on fire. I believe over 100 dead and the club owners and band were tried in court. *** Just read the article***. Happened in 2003 in Warwick, Rhode Island. 100 dead and the two brothers who owned the club were charged with 100 counts of involuntary mansaughter. They plead no contest, one got fours years jail time, the other no jail. Fireworks on stage caught the soundproofing material on fire.

Sad incident and mine and my wifes condolences to the families of the victims along with thoughts and prayers.

Edited January 1, 2009 by PuaSai

[jsdwd]

Very sad since such devastating loss of life is 100% avoidable.

To say that Thai people don't know how to have safe place (as some have) is ludicrous. Of course they know.

The steps necessary to have a safe nightclub were spelled out after the tragic Cocanut Grove fire in Boston, Mass., USA in which 492 people died, the worst nightclub fire in U.S. history. It is because of the laws that were created after that fire that there have not been other such tragedies. I'm sure Thailand has such laws on the books.

Adequate outward-opening exits, clearly marked battery operated exit signs, no flammable materials in construction or decorations...these are just a few of the routine steps taken throughout the world to ensure safety. But these laws must be enforced.

I think therein lies the problem in Thailand and many other countries. Nightclub owners pay the police or building inspectors to 'look the other way' and the venues become firetraps. Anyone who has been to MBK shopping center in Bangkok can imagine the horror if there were a serious fire there...hundreds would die. Why isn't something done?

Because the government doesn't protect the people, it just fills its treasure boxes. When people insist on a government that does its duty, the nightclubs will be safe. Who will go to jail because of this tragedy on Ekamai?

Everyone's hearts go out to the victims and their families. They are only guilty of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

It is particularly sad since the loss is so unnecessary.

[girlx]

so sad to hear about this and i am glad that my friends and i (who often go to santika and who thankfully discounted it as an option last night) were not there. condolences to all those who are affected. makes me not want to go clubbing again- many times i have reflected upon how much certain clubs and markets are fire traps. i heard the fire exits were locked! fuc_king thais and their payoffs.

Can anyone confirm or deny that fellow members went on to the club after the party?

hawkup2000 i am glad you are safe... i hope my other thaivisa friends avoided the place last night...?!

[britmaveric]

My prediction - there shall be a crackdown for a week or so it looks like something is being done...then all will be forgotten and business as usual.