Four Tourists Reportedly Killed In Phuket Discotheque Fire

[BeforeTigers]

3 years in prison for trapping 60 people in a burning building.

Death sentence for driving yaba from points A to B.

Yeah, that totally makes sense.

[stefb1964]

Is the issue that people died and how, not more important than than worrying about late opening?

We know how 4 people sadly died, and that is an important issue, but had the law been obeyed, the disco would not have been open at 4am, and conceivably nobody would have been in the premises and nobody would have died or been injured. Is that not important too?

Indeed, along with probably a lot of other regulations that should have been respected as well.

[Valentine]

Is the issue that people died and how, not more important than than worrying about late opening?

We know how 4 people sadly died, and that is an important issue, but had the law been obeyed, the disco would not have been open at 4am, and conceivably nobody would have been in the premises and nobody would have died or been injured. Is that not important too?

If it had closed at the proper time perhaps there would have been no fatalities or the fire may not have occurred but this senseless tragedy highlights, once again, slack enforcement of regulations (insert corruption) will continue this sorry tale.

[chrissables]

Is the issue that people died and how, not more important than than worrying about late opening?

We know how 4 people sadly died, and that is an important issue, but had the law been obeyed, the disco would not have been open at 4am, and conceivably nobody would have been in the premises and nobody would have died or been injured. Is that not important too?

Yes of course, but what if it happened during "normal" opening hours? The point i am trying to make is, the time is not important.

[Headgame]

Is the issue that people died and how, not more important than than worrying about late opening?

We know how 4 people sadly died, and that is an important issue, but had the law been obeyed, the disco would not have been open at 4am, and conceivably nobody would have been in the premises and nobody would have died or been injured. Is that not important too?

And if there hadn't been a midnight showing of Batman there wouldn't have been the shootings in CO. And so on.

These types of nightclub fires happen periodically all over the world. Never good. Always preventable but still it's about the innocents who were just out having a good time and have suffered because of events beyond their control.

[webfact]

4 dead in Patong blaze

PHUKET: Four people are believed to have died last night in a major fire at the famed Tiger bar and disco complex on Bangla Rd, Patong.

Eleven others were injured, some severely.

AFP quoted Phuket deputy governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada as confirming that four peole are dead, and that they are all believed to be foreigners, though none have yet been identified.

He said, "The fire was caused by lightning which struck a transformer and the fire spread throughout the place," he added.

However, Phuket News reporter Tanyaluck Sakoot, after talking with a member of the Tiger staff said she had ben told that the fire had started in the toilets, but what sparked it was not yet known.

She described distressing scenes at Patong Hospital, where the injured were taken. She spoke with Benjamin Tallanotte, 30, almost entirely swathed in bandages with second-degree burns to 40 per cent of his body.

Full story: http://www.thephuket...blaze-32648.php

-- The Phuket News 2012-08-17

[Semper]

So, a large group of police descend upon a naughty farang because he was taking a driver's test for his farang friend. The matter is blown out of proportion and the usual photos are put in the paper with all the self-important coppers standing all around showing their superiority on crime fighting.

And then this; no mention of the owners and staff being arrested on the spot and jailed for breaking several laws which in all likelihood are the cause for these senseless deaths.

I do not know whether to laugh, cry or shit my pants.

Whatever you chose, don't do it in public. Especially the latter.

[Alfahane]

Pictures

[prakhonchai nick]

And if there hadn't been a midnight showing of Batman there wouldn't have been the shootings in CO. And so on.

These types of nightclub fires happen periodically all over the world. Never good. Always preventable but still it's about the innocents who were just out having a good time and have suffered because of events beyond their control.

You are digressing

It is non compliance with laws that is the cause of so many problems here in Thailand and regrettably elsewhere. Many clubs, cinemas. hotels etc are all allowed to open without proper fire exits, fire fighting appliances etc. And despite regulations to close at certain times, entertainment outlets circumvent the laws regularly by making under the counter payments.

Edited August 17, 2012 by prakhonchai nick

[JanKlaasen]

Is the issue that people died and how, not more important than than worrying about late opening?

We know how 4 people sadly died, and that is an important issue, but had the law been obeyed, the disco would not have been open at 4am, and conceivably nobody would have been in the premises and nobody would have died or been injured. Is that not important too?

So lets close all entertainment at midnight from now on, then the same whiners that now complain that is should have been closed can come on again and whine that this is a tourist destination and blah blah blah.

[webfact]

RT @191Thailand: Four French tourists among those injured in pub fire, one in serious condition (PhuketWan)

[carra]

Is the issue that people died and how, not more important than than worrying about late opening?

We know how 4 people sadly died, and that is an important issue, but had the law been obeyed, the disco would not have been open at 4am, and conceivably nobody would have been in the premises and nobody would have died or been injured. Is that not important too?

Yes of course, but what if it happened during "normal" opening hours? The point i am trying to make is, the time is not important.

Sorry i disagree, I can see your point but what it does show is a disregard for the law, and if in this instance the law was being obeyed the club would have been closed and empty at the time of the fire.

Most of the issues in this country are caused by slack law enforcement, the country has laws but there is nobody prepared to stand up and enforce them properly.

[crazykopite]

I was always under the impression that after midnight everything should close down is this not the case anymore or is it again about backhanders to those in charge to turn a blind eye R.I.P to those who perished or were injured

[Unkomoncents]

As a resident of Thailand, it's easy to get into the habit of being conscious of available exits when you go out on the town (and avoiding places that are obviously dangerous as much as possible). Unfortunately, those who only come to visit are often unaware that, in everything from emergency response times to electrical installations, Thailand's standards are well below the par of the developed world. They assume it will be the same as or similar to the public safety measures in their home countries. Tourists are often in for a rude awakening, and this fire is truly tragic. It would be a positive development if tourist agencies, guidebooks, and other sources of information included more warnings about personal safety for Thailand. When you pick up most guidebooks, all you get is this garbage about how everyone is friendly and smiley and how Koh Phi Phi has some amazing beaches. Fires happen, but locked exits and police ownership of nightclub establishments shouldn't.

Edited August 17, 2012 by Unkomoncents

[geriatrickid]

IMO, the Tiger Group is untouchable in Patong. When the crackdown occurred in March, the Phuket Gazette ran this story;

http://www.phuketgazette.net/archives/articles/2012/article12790.html

Highlights are;

The threat of legal action follows Kathu Police yesterday afternoon conducting surprise raids of businesses run by the Tiger Group in Patong, following a slew of recent allegations by MP Chuwit that “the largest casino in Southern Thailand” was being operated in one their establishments, which was also allegedly involved in prostitution.

.........Mr Chuwit earlier that afternoon complained to national and Police Region 8 officers that the Tiger Group was operating a casino out of one of their entertainment complexes in Patong that had a daily turnover of 100 million baht, said the report.

Tiger Group's legal counsel was adamant when he stated;

Mr Thamrongsak took his denial that Tiger Group was involved in gambling a step further – claiming that all of Patong was free of bon phanan (the Thai term typically translated as “gambling den”). “I do not know about the past, but presently there is not single gambling den in Patong,” he said

Really?

Here are some of the group's assets;

[prakhonchai nick]

It is accepted that this fire. like so many tragic incidents, could have occurred during legal opening hours.

Before any public place, store, mall, hotel, club, cinema etc is permitted to open, there should be a thorough inspection to ensure all is in order. No allowing opening provided management attend to outstanding points within a month or 2 as is so often the case.

regular inspections (6 monthly) should be carried out to see that no alterations have been made, and anyone in authority giving permission for relaxation of the requirements, must face severe punishment.

It is the backhanders received to turn a blind eye and the lack of any realistic punishment to the corrupt that is responsible for so many similar events.

Who recalls the huge fire at the Jomtien hotel many years ago....locked fire exits.....approx 100 dead.........and nobody was punished. I lived next door at the time!

[true blue]

Why does it matter if the club was open at that hour? Lightning can strike at any time.

I've been at Tiger many times after 3 AM and know that the stairs there are treacherous just after a few drinks. Can only

imagine the chaos of a fire.

Makes me sad to see all the Phuket haters using this terrible event to get rolling again.

RIP to all who died in such a horrific way and speedy recovery to those who escaped with injuries.

used to go to tiger disco many times,sorry to hear about terrible accident,deepest sympathy for all those involved in the trama.

[Pseudolus]

Another day, another tragedy. Sorry for their families (I hope their loved ones knew they were in Patong! Other wise the tragedy will get a lot worse).

[chooka]

Don't tell us the emergency escape doors were chained and locked please!!!

They reported on the Australian news that patrons had difficult getting out the rear doors, didn't say they were locked or whatever just that they had difficulty. It was also stated that the four tourists were French.

[trainman34014]

Don't tell us the emergency escape doors were chained and locked please!!!

They reported on the Australian news that patrons had difficult getting out the rear doors, didn't say they were locked or whatever just that they had difficulty. It was also stated that the four tourists were French.

'Difficulty ' probably meaning the could not find any bolt croppers to cut the chains with!

[webfact]

UPDATE:

4 dead, 11 injured in Tiger disco inferno

Phuket Gazette

Phuket rescue workers recover one of the bodies from the gutted Tiger disco in Patong. Photo: Atchaa Khamlo

People fleeing the fire gather near the fire trucks in front of the disco as firefighters extinguish the blaze. Photo: Atchaa Khamlo

PHUKET: -- A pre-dawn blaze at the popular Tiger Bar and Discotheque in Phuket has left four people dead and 11 people injured.

Among the injured were four French nationals.

Kathu Police were notified of the blaze at the well-known Patong nightspot at about 4am.

Patong Municipality Fire Department rescuers raced to the scene with eight fire engines. It took them about one hour to extinguish the fire.

The firefighters had to battle the blaze in the darkness, as power had to be cut throughout the municipality for safety reasons.

Kathu Police said that the cause of the fire appears to have been related to an explosion in an electrical transformer.

The identities of the four dead have not yet been released; all were burned beyond recognition.

The most seriously injured person was 30-year-old Frenchman Benjamin Talanotte, who suffered second-degree burns to 40 per cent of his body. He was among two victims who required admittance to Patong Hospital.

The other victim was 42-year-old Noodaneg Pramangkata, who suffered from dizziness and hyperventilation.

Other French nationals treated and released were identified as:

Nicolas Robyn, 25, minor injury to the right arm;

Mathieu Lagrange, 40, minor hand and arm injury;

Ms Yasmine Khelaef-humber, panic attack.

Also suffering a serious injury was 25-year-old Kanyaporn Kantong, who was at the venue with two friends when they began to smell smoke in one of the two second-storey bars attached to the disco.

She told the Gazette she noticed that Mr Talanotte was badly burned and assisted him to safety.

Mr Talanotte was a guest at a hotel on Nanai Road and was concerned that his wife was unaware that he was being treated in Patong Hospital.

Although not on the list of those treated at Patong Hospital, the owner of the nightclub, identified only as “Mr Piya”, also suffered minor injuries, Patong Police said.

The area remains cordoned off as investigators sift through the scene, including the bar complex area underneath the main nightclub.

The Gazette was told that once news of the fire spread through the nightclub, many patrons rushed to the front door. Many people were hurt as they tried to exit via the stairs at the front.

Security guards are now allowing controlled access to let bar owners in to check their properties.

The electrical power supply has now been restored to the wider area.

Source: http://www.phuketgaz...erno-16687.html

-- Phuket Gazette 2012-08-17

[1717]

If a plain gets delayed for 2 hrs and then crashes its still as much a disaster if it left on time. Very sad to hear about this fire in Phuket. But just because the club was opened 2 hrs later should have no baring on this. I been to Tiger club and I think after santika the fire inspectors learned a lot and yes 4 people have died but it could of also been 400 dead. So just maybe things are getting better and safer here. Rip to those who paid the ultimate price

[steelepulse]

IMO, the Tiger Group is untouchable in Patong. When the crackdown occurred in March, the Phuket Gazette ran this story;

Agreed. The principals will not get arrested ( at least for anything serious, although perhaps a minor fire law violation), there will be some sort of token payout, and everything will be back to status quo come high season. These guys have deep pockets and a lot of influential friends.

RIP to the deceased who were only trying to have a good time on a night out.

[AiteCM]

Is the issue that people died and how, not more important than than worrying about late opening?

We know how 4 people sadly died, and that is an important issue, but had the law been obeyed, the disco would not have been open at 4am, and conceivably nobody would have been in the premises and nobody would have died or been injured. Is that not important too?

Yes of course, but what if it happened during "normal" opening hours? The point i am trying to make is, the time is not important.

i think the point is that just like the poster said- if the law had been followed this would not have happened- so even if it really was caused by lightning - fire crews readiness might not be the same- the level of intoxication of the customers there that might have inhibited their escape could have played a role- there is a liability to those who were operating the place illegally and had they not the deaths might not have occured

[Virt]

Sad how a day out in town can turn tragic so fast.

Tragic for those who died and for their families and friends but also tragic for those burn victims that survived and now has to struggle through

painful recoveries.

Best wishes to all of the victims and their families.

Sad just sad....

[moe666]

The usual over reaction from the usual suspects, hang em high lets wait for an investigation and see what happens. I spent 26 years in the Navy there is always two way out of each compartment it is your responsibility to know where these are located. Its the same in any big building or mall it is your responsibility to know how to get out. When I enter any large building especially night clubs I always know at least two ways out preferable the two that are closer too my location. One should do this where ever you are they lock and chain exits in the west as well too keep out the non paying crowd.

By the way transformers are hit by lighting on a regular basis as they are located in a high location and it seems they attract lighting. Even if they are not hit directly a near miss can cause a short and fire.

Good luck to the injured and a speedy recovery with their injuries,sorry about the dead best wishes too their families.

[harrry]

http://www.smh.com.au/world/four-dead-in-thai-nightclub-fire-20120817-24crd.html

a little more here

[Gone]

Thai Rath said the fire broke out at 4:40 am on the second floor of the pub, which is a discotheque. The place was still full with Thai and foreign tourists when the blaze broke out.

hhhmmmm I am wondering? 04:40 AM. Phuket seems to have special operating hours. ;-O

But what ever and who who cares.

Carelessness cost other lives and the barmen has to go to jail!

Lightning is carelessness? Bartender going to jail? What planet do you live on?

[moe666]

IMO, the Tiger Group is untouchable in Patong. When the crackdown occurred in March, the Phuket Gazette ran this story;

Agreed. The principals will not get arrested ( at least for anything serious, although perhaps a minor fire law violation), there will be some sort of token payout, and everything will be back to status quo come high season. These guys have deep pockets and a lot of influential friends.

RIP to the deceased who were only trying to have a good time on a night out.

What if the investigation finds enough exits, non locked or chained and no over crowding. People panic in these sorts of situations they do not pay attention to where they are at and add alcohol to the mix you have a problem. The fire seems to have been a accident But if there are irregularities then hang them.

[DLock]

...so you are all buying this "lighting strike" excuse then?