Fireworks caused deadly new year's blaze in Bangkok
Police confirm fireworks were cause of Bangkok blaze that killed 65
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Saturday, 24, Jan 2009 12:06
Police have confirmed that fireworks were the cause of Bangkok blaze that killed 65 people in a nightclub on New Year's Day.
Five people, including the owner of the Santika club, have been charged over the fire, which left a further 200 people injured - including four Britons - in the Thai capital.
And Thai police have now confirmed the cause of the blaze, ahead of the release of a full report on Monday.
"The fire was caused by fireworks, according to the police investigation," said deputy national police chief General Jongrak Jutanont. "There will be more arrests."
The full report is expected to confirm whether the fire was started by a pyrotechnic display within the club or by revellers' handheld sparklers.
The club had been refused an operating licence in 2004, but had remained open for business while contesting the decision, while the owner, Wisuth Setsawat, reportedly admitted to not having renewed Santika's fire insurance when it expired last year.
Thai authorities had permitted the club to sell noodle-based meals up to midnight, but it had been open as an all-night club and when the fire broke out early on New Year's Day, partygoers struggled to escape from the club due to a lack of exits.
"The Santika was a death trap. But so are many, if not most night-time venues in Bangkok," said Alex Wargacki, a British survivor of the blaze.
"They keep the exits to a minimum because the owners do not want anyone to run away without paying a bill," he told Sky News.