Fire At Santika Night Club

[freitag1]

This disaster is just insane. Now imagine something like that would happen to one of Bangkoks most popular fire traps (MBK).

[MeetJohnDoe]

May God have mercy on all their souls!

Can we leave all the "god" and prayers crap out of all the replies! There is no god and therefore no one to hear any prayers, so save your breath.

Without death, life has no meaning. Everything is impermanence.

Those pictures of all the dead lined-up on the ground in the white shrouds are a good subject for meditation, and a reminder to live every moment of life with mindfulness for you never know when your time will come

Edited January 1, 2009 by MeetJohnDoe

[markokang]

Well. From first person perspective:

It was fuc_king unreal. Like being in a movie or something; think I'm still in shock/denial.

We went in as 7, now 4 remain missing, including my bro. Couldn't find them in hospitals last night. Going down to the morgue now. I'm praying I don't see them there, so I can continue to search the hospitals.

Afterwards the most ridiculous thing about the whole thing I've realized is that they somehow built the place with no water sprinklers, fire extinguishers or emergency lights.

The group in charge of that area was mine last night (Ruamkatanyu). You will need someone who speaks Thai and call this number: 027510951~3 (No-one there speak English ok)

Give them your friends name and they can check for you. Save you calling all the hospitals.

BUT... because of the volume of people involved and the shortage of manpower last night, they may have not followed the normal protocol and collected all the names as we normally do.

Im sorry I'm out of the country now and unable to help

I hope all works out well for you

My condolances to families of others who lost their lives

Marko Cunningham

[john b good]

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.

People get the government that they deserve. (the one that they sell their votes to)

Who will go to jail because of this tragedy on Ekamai?" the simple answer if history is anything to go by is "NO ONE"

Kader factory fire, 388 killed, "no one held accountable"

Korat Hotel collapse, 137 killed, "ditto"

Jomptien Hotel fire, 90 + killed, "ditto"

Sanpatong factory explosion, 40 killed, "ditto"

New Phetburi Road gas explosion, many killed, "ditto"

TG crash at Surat Thani, 100 ++ killed, "ditto" (they haven't even released the official investigation findings albeit that it occurred around 10 years ago. WHY? "they didn't want to hurt peoples feelings was the stated reason")

As was stated earlier in the thread "the Baht rules supreme"

The next disaster will occur, it's just a matter of when and how many fatalities.

My sympathy to the families of the deceased and to the injured.

Edited January 1, 2009 by john b good

[somluck]

SO SAD.........

BUT WHO IS TO BLAME????

the owner, and they should rot in a 40 person prison cell for the rest of their life.

Heard that the owners are influential and well connected....so dun expect any of them to be held accountable

[meom]

I just looked at the Santika website (posted in an earlier post) and there is a message on their that appears to be from the Owner/Mgr of this establishment. I did a Google search and found his Facebook page and his Classmates page. Google appear to have a few links to gather info on this guy. I am wondering is now he'll be 'on the run'.

Probably. So far there hasn't been any statement from the owner(s).

[BkkAnimalover]

Well. From first person perspective:

It was fuc_king unreal. Like being in a movie or something; think I'm still in shock/denial.

We went in as 7, now 4 remain missing, including my bro. Couldn't find them in hospitals last night. Going down to the morgue now. I'm praying I don't see them there, so I can continue to search the hospitals.

Afterwards the most ridiculous thing about the whole thing I've realized is that they somehow built the place with no water sprinklers, fire extinguishers or emergency lights.

The group in charge of that area was mine last night (Ruamkatanyu). You will need someone who speaks Thai and call this number: 027510951~3 (No-one there speak English ok)

Give them your friends name and they can check for you. Save you calling all the hospitals.

BUT... because of the volume of people involved and the shortage of manpower last night, they may have not followed the normal protocol and collected all the names as we normally do.

Im sorry I'm out of the country now and unable to help

I hope all works out well for you

My condolances to families of others who lost their lives

Marko Cunningham

If You need help call me at any time , I'm in Bkk and I can speak Thai fluent 0860145954

[yabaaaa]

This may be irrelevant but what is the purpose of all that "ISO xxxx..." certification that you often see in Bangkok?

Is that obtained thru back handers too?

First all as others have said, what a start to a new year. I express my sincere condolences and sorrow for all those that had family and friends killed in this tragic event. May they RIP. I wish a full and swift recovery for all those that survived and were hurt although I am sure with many that have very deep burns this may not occur but my prayers are with you.

As for ISO, ISO has nothing to do with safety.

I can confirm that in Thailand ISO can be easily "bought", my wifes old company (who'm she worked for) did exactly this. It makes the company look better to countries outside of Thailand such as Europe for exports I should think. The reality is they dont have ISO standards at all.I doubt anything will change regarding fire safety here although it will give my wife more ammunition to stamp out the smoking occurring at the condo blocks where w e rent out units and the Farangs who mainly flout this rule due to their perceptions you can ignore all rules/laws in Thailand.

[troy04]

good and typical example, your wife should report it anonymousely to the european travel operators. I guess some awake hotel tourists have spotted it already and hopefully complained about it, as we europeans do

living here this 'bending the law' can also have it's possitive sides that some things can be solved easier. An advantage that it's not like back home where there is 'no go' other than the tiring official way.

but at some point should be a limit. like where as safety for people is involved. the officials should be educated and smart enough to see a difference one would think.

sad.

On the subject of safety. My wife worked as the front office manager in a resort hotel a few years ago. It was a new resort and aimed at the farang market. They needed a safety certificate issued (I think it was also requirement of the european holiday companies), she said that she checked what was needed, lots of fire extinguishers, escape plans and routes etc etc. She informed the owner, the long and short of it, the owner got the appropriate government official in, gave him a wadge of cash and he got his safety certificate. Not an extinguisher in site, or emergency exit sign to be found. My wife complained to the owner, and got sacked. It will take a long time to change the attitude to safety.

[Shola]

May God have mercy on all their souls!

Can we leave all the "god" and prayers crap out of all the replies! There is no god and therefore no one to hear any prayers, so save your breath.

Without death, life has no meaning. Everything is impermanence.

Those pictures of all the dead lined-up on the ground in the white shrouds are a good subject for meditation, and a reminder to live every moment of life with mindfulness for you never know when your time will come

I am in agreement with your sentiments but at a time like this it is petty to try and deny people the right to express there anger and grief in a way they see appropriate.

I am utterly sickened by this tragedy, it could have so easily been prevented.

Shola

XXX

[jamesalias]

hello

i'm terribly and deeply sorry for all those who have lost someone in this tragedy, my most sincerest of wishes are with you and everyone connected. btw, i was there during the thing happened, and i was able to post the video on youtube, although i request to please have a look at the full footage, to understand what really happened during the chaos, have a look at the emotions, the unsung heroes that we rarely mention.

youtube.com/watch?v=E-d7iaM28BE

please comment appropriately,

regards.

[thecatman]

All of this is absolutely terrible news. My heart goes out to all the friends and families of those that have lost their lives. I also wish those injured the speedest of recoveries.

When will the powers that be do anything to stop these horrific events from happening again?? Things like this, and those mentioned in this link seem to be almost accepted as part of everyday life here with almost no deterrent or punishment for those guilty.

I Love Thailand........but it certainly does have its faults.

Edited January 1, 2009 by thecatman

[Samuian]

So sad -shocking, sorry for all these who are effected by this terrible event.

Sprinklers would have prevented the massive loss...I on my behalf avoid mass events and "closed" venues like this - a principal!

[BKKRICK]

This disaster is just insane. Now imagine something like that would happen to one of Bangkoks most popular fire traps (MBK).

Chilling, I was only thinking that a few days ago when I was buying a phone there. If there was every a place where I have felt uncomfortable, MBK has to be the place.

[JetsetBkk]

I don't believe there is only one exit out of Santika, the entrance. I believe it's true that people were not aware of the exits. ...

BBC News report at 2 pm from Jonathan Head: "staff knew of other ways out, but not known to the crowd...". Also: "30 bodies not identified".

This story now relegated to about the 5th item.

Be careful, people - you're on your own out there, whether you're eating, drinking, walking, driving, shopping or sitting on the beach: keep your wits about you. You're not in the West any more.

LoS - "Lack of Safety"

[yabaaaa]

You have things similar to this in the Uk with the train disasters a few years back, the result is the same, spend millions on an inquiry and identify all the faults then pass it onto the government who pretend to take action but dont and then low and behold 4-5 years later its repeated again and followed by the usual "why weren't lessons learnt" type headlines. Time makes people forget otherwise there would'nt be more wars.. the war to end all wars etc etc. Same with anything like this people are generally lazy and greedy and "it wont ever happen to them"

[dingdongrb]

This may be irrelevant but what is the purpose of all that "ISO xxxx..." certification that you often see in Bangkok?

Is that obtained thru back handers too?

First all as others have said, what a start to a new year. I express my sincere condolences and sorrow for all those that had family and friends killed in this tragic event. May they RIP. I wish a full and swift recovery for all those that survived and were hurt although I am sure with many that have very deep burns this may not occur but my prayers are with you.

As for ISO, ISO has nothing to do with safety.

I can confirm that in Thailand ISO can be easily "bought", my wifes old company (who'm she worked for) did exactly this. It makes the company look better to countries outside of Thailand such as Europe for exports I should think. The reality is they dont have ISO standards at all.I doubt anything will change regarding fire safety here although it will give my wife more ammunition to stamp out the smoking occurring at the condo blocks where w e rent out units and the Farangs who mainly flout this rule due to their perceptions you can ignore all rules/laws in Thailand.

Once again, ISO has nothing to do with safety......period!

This is a quoted message on the Santika club website:

Dear all fun loving Thai people and foreigners who were out last night trying to have a good time with family and friends at the Sanitika Club. This message is for you and your families and friends. We are deeply sadden by this accident which took so many lives and left many more hospitalized. We like to extend our sincere sympathy to all of you and your families and friends and we pray to God that he will help all of you overcome your pain and suffering quickly. May God Bless you always. Sincerely, Donald Patnaude.

[mrtoad]

Awful, awful.

My condolences to the families that have lost their loved ones, and my best wishes to those that are injured.

Such a needless loss of life, and likely to be one that could have been easily prevented. I hope the authorities conduct a proper investigation, and if someone is responsible they are properly punished. Sadly, I'd hazzard a guess that it will all get conveniently covered up.

[tigerboy]

Sad, sad, sh*t indeed, yet so TiT it seems.

To TV user Dissolution, I hope that your search for your brother ends on a positive note.

I've been to Zantika probably about 10 times or so. I recall that it was shut down for about 3 months for upgrades within the last 2 years. I remember the place before it was shut down and it was really a fire trap then. The stairs were really dodgy and the balcony / upstairs area was really small and cramped. It seemed to me that since the upgrade that things were improved quite a bit from what they were. Obviously not enough though.

Now conspiracy time. If you were the owner / lease holder of the club, and had recently spent a lot of money to upgrade it, only to have the lease on your club not renewed, would you *really* care if there were sparklers and fire crackers being "given" to people going to your club on it's "farewell party" night?

I wonder what plans the property owner had for the property after Zantika club shut down? Was he / she going to re-open the property as a new club? Tear it down and build an aprtment building or mall? Just gets me wondering. Follow the money I say...

Also saw that the new PM has visited the scene and stated that "firecrackers should not have been used inside of the club". I wonder who they're going to focus the investigation on?

[sangfroid]

Very sad indeed, hopefully the authorities will start taking things more seriously now regarding fire and safety regulations.

You are joking ..aren't you? This is only the latest of a long list of such tragedys, none of which has ever made the slightest difference to Thai safety standards.

[Farma]

Three Aussies injured in NYE club fire

January 01, 2009 04:52pm

AT LEAST three Australians were among those injured when a fire swept through a Bangkok nightclub, killing at least 59 New Year's Eve revellers.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has confirmed a 29-year-old woman, her 30-year-old brother and a 49-year-old man were taken to hospital after the blaze at the Santika Club.

Australian embassy staff in Bangkok have visited all three and are providing assistance, a DFAT spokesman said.

No Australians have been confirmed among the dead.

Australians concerned about the safety of loved ones in Bangkok have been urged to contact DFAT on 1300 555 135.

Source http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0...5003402,00.html

[hansnl]

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.

Obviously.

And besides, most victims are also of that breed.

Let me guess, the owner(s) is/are..........

So, the end result of the research into the fire will amount to something like this:

Fire started by illegal firework, thrown by farang visitors of the club.

All exits were blocked because the visitors all tried to get out together in a disorderly fashion, which made the exits blocked.

The owners are not to be blamed.

[DegenFarang]

This guy also says people were firing fireworks inside.. its a shocking video so you might not want to see it.

that video is disgusting. the cameraman is a despicable human being. youtube should take that down. you can literally see people dying in that video.

is that the kind of stuff on thai tv now?

[MeetJohnDoe]

May God have mercy on all their souls!

Can we leave all the "god" and prayers crap out of all the replies! There is no god and therefore no one to hear any prayers, so save your breath.

Without death, life has no meaning. Everything is impermanence.

Those pictures of all the dead lined-up on the ground in the white shrouds are a good subject for meditation, and a reminder to live every moment of life with mindfulness for you never know when your time will come

...it is petty to try and deny people the right to express there anger and grief...

Rational expressions of anger, personal grief, and condolences to the friends and relatives for their loss are perfectly appropriate. Expressing irrational beliefs in superstitious incantations to super-natural beings, and calling on them to assist or help the dead in some way, is just plain silly.

It was a tragedy, it was preventable, it has happened before, it will happen again. I just hope those who died lived their lives with awareness and mindfulness and made some contribution to the world they have left behind.

[JetsetBkk]

This guy also says people were firing fireworks inside.. its a shocking video so you might not want to see it.

that video is disgusting. the cameraman is a despicable human being. youtube should take that down. you can literally see people dying in that video.

is that the kind of stuff on thai tv now?

Yes.

[troy04]

I once worked there in the day time for a korean action movie and there are doors to the back, you can see them on the pics in the middle of this page:

http://www.pantip.com/cafe/blueplanet/topi...4/E7378734.html

but of course not signed well or locked or hidden from stuff. as a nother member mentioned, the owners are afraid customer avoid paying the bill by escaping through emergency doors. earlier days i noticed emergency doors here in a club locked with padlocks... billing when serving the drinks as in many places would avoid that problem.

...perhaps the staff were not able to point everyone to other exits..

the staff was probably the first to run...

I don't believe there is only one exit out of Santika, the entrance. I believe it's true that people were not aware of the exits. I can think of three or four in there off the top of my head but I suppose they may have been blocked off or not well lit. Also, many probably didn't know about the exits and everyone panicked and ran for the only one they knew, the entrance and the perhaps the staff were not able to point everyone to other exits as it happened so fast and they probably weren't trained for that. Truly horrible, whatever the case. Devastating story to read and one that hits close to the heart for many who have been there before or have lost a friend.

[Jimjim]

May God have mercy on all their souls!

Can we leave all the "god" and prayers crap out of all the replies! There is no god and therefore no one to hear any prayers, so save your breath.

Without death, life has no meaning. Everything is impermanence.

Those pictures of all the dead lined-up on the ground in the white shrouds are a good subject for meditation, and a reminder to live every moment of life with mindfulness for you never know when your time will come

Can we leave the athiest crap out of the replies? It's impossible to prove there is no God so save your breath.

Also the racism against Thais and stereotypes are not necessary at this time.

[Spee]

I find it difficult to put into words anything more than what has been said. It's yet another sad, devastating and apparently preventable tragedy.

What I have found in moments of thought and reflection today is reaffirmation of how little value some other people seem to place upon my, your and others' life. I find it very disturbing at how "cheap" life can be in this day and age, and it only leaves me with one thought. Value your life and that of your friends and families as the most precious of all things and make your choices and decisions on that basis.

May all of us have a better start to the year than the friends and families of the unfortunate souls lost in this disaster. And may those friends and families find resolution and peace of mind in their time.

[inthepink]

Will the government change the law now to ensure all public areas have adequate fire exits etc?....no.

Money is more important than lives in Thailand.

In fact a week from now this will all be forgotton and it will be business as usual from Saturday.

As pointed out elsewhere in the thread, this kind of thing has happened in the States before, and I would guess many other countries. Doesn't stop idiots like you making your uneducated comments as usual though.

[bkkguru]

I was in a club nearby which was equally packed when there was a power cut thanks to the fire in Santika and everyone had to leave.

Saw loads of people running away from Santika. A horrible scene indeed.

One conspiracy theory circulating in Thai forums is that the fire was started by an arsonist. The story goes like this:

When the lease of the club was about to expire, the owner(s) of Santika asked for an extention because the club was doing very well but then it was immediately rejected as the premises owner saw a golden opportunity in starting their new nightclub in such a prime location already popular among clubbers. This is quite common practice in Thailand in case you didn't know. They either reject an extension or ask for much higher rent.

So the Santika management got furious for obvious reasons and planned arson of the whole premises on the last day of the lease as a way to get back to the premises owner. While police investigation is still under way, many believe the Santika management will get away because 'apparently' some clubbers have come out and said the fire was started by fireworks by one of their fellow clubbers. One can't help wondering how they could be allowed to bring in such flamable material. They also must have known that the premises owner would be held responsible for the fire-trapping design of the club.

To add fuel to the conspiracy, this was the first time that fireworks were ever used and top perfomers Joey Boy and his crew miraculously escaped the fire despite being on the stage most of the time. Plus the major share holders of Santika weren't present last night when they should have been there to offer their thanks to loyal punters and see their world renowned club end in style.

Anyway this might just be a theory but you know anything is possible when it comes to big money. Just look at the Iraq war and stuff.

My condolences to the family and friends of the many victims.