Burnt pub in Phuket cordoned off after fatal fire

PHUKET, August 17 (TNA) - A wellknown pub and discotheque on the Patong Beach in Thailand's southern resort Phuket Province has been cordoned off after a fatal fire early Friday morning, as officials were carrying out autopsies to identify four people who were killed in the blaze, which also caused at least 11 injuries, most of them have already been discharged from hospital. Local authorities told reporters that the Tiger Pub and Discotheque near the Patong Beach in Phuket's Kathoo District caught fire at around 2am and over 10 fire engines and firefighters took about an hour to bring the blaze under control. The authorities said that the bodies of the four killed persons have been kept at Patong Hospital pending identification; while two of the 11 injured were in critical conditions. Phuket Assistant Governor Chai-wat The-pee, who inspected the scene, revealed that the pub has been cordoned off, as public work authorities are checking whether its burnt structure remains safe. Tham-rong-sak Boon-rak, Executive Director of the Tiger Group, attributed the fire to a short circuit as a transformer exploded and there was a blackout in the area, promising that his Tiger Group will pay compensation to relatives of the dead and the injured as required by the Thai law. Meanwhile, Thai Public Health Minister Wittaya Buranasiri told journalists that he has told doctors and nurses of the Patong Hospital to take best care of the two seriously injured victims of the fire, and that he was reported that six of the nine injured who have been dischared from the hospital are Thai nationals while the remaining three are French tourists.(TNA)