An explosion causing a massive fire at the Mountain B pub in Sattahip town late last night killed 17 people and injured 40.
Fire engines rushed to the well-known pub located at Soi 99, Sukhumvit Road at 1.25 a.m. to see the pub engulfed in flames.
An eye witness said that he heard an explosion near the DJ booth which burst into flames, causing a panic as customers stampeded towards the exit trying to get out.
The interior walls and decorations of the air-conditioned pub were plastered with flammable materials which burst into fireballs causing the whole building to become an inferno.
In their panic driven rush to get out of the fire-raged building, people were jammed at the only exit and many of them got stuck in the narrow doorway, suffocated and burnt to death. Firefighters also found dead bodies crouched in the toilets.
Firefighters fought the flames for over two hours before bringing the fire under control.
Initial reports stated that 13 people including 4 women and 9 men died in the fire, while 41 were injured and were rushed to the nearby Queen Sirikit Hospital.
The exact cause of the fire has not been determined at the time of this report.
Pattaya Mail will keep you updated on this breaking story.