Russian Dies After Bangkok Hotel Blaze

By Jamaluddin Muhammad BANGKOK, March 9 (Bernama) -- A Russian woman died while a male foreigner is in a coma, following a fire at a hotel here Thursday night. The identity of the woman who succumbed to injuries while undergoing treatment at the Kluaynamthai Hospital has not been determined. Thonglor police chief Pol Col Rattasak Raksalam said Friday, the other foreigner, whose identity was also unknown, was warded at the hospital's intensive care unit. The blaze occurred about 10pm, at the fourth floor of the 15-storey hotel. Firemen spent about 30 minutes to contain the blaze before putting it out. Twenty-two hotel guests, mostly foreigners which included Russians and Japanese, sustained minor injuries due to smoke inhalation. They were given outpatient treatment. Meanwhile, hospital director Dr Suvinai Busarakumwongs said six Russians, a Japanese and a local sought outpatient treatment at the hospital. The rest of the victims received similar treatment at various hospitals here. -- BERNAMA