Bangkok Bar Fire Among World's Deadliest Nightclub Fires. A Look At Similar Tragedies

Last Updated:July 13, 2026, 17:36 IST

Bangkok Bar Fire: Fires in nightclubs and bars often turn deadly due to overcrowding, flammable interiors and limited emergency exits.

The deadly nightclub fire in Bangkok on Sunday, which killed 27 people and injured more than 70, has revived memories of similar tragedies across the world. Fires in nightclubs and bars have often proved especially deadly because they break out in enclosed spaces packed with patrons, where overcrowding, flammable interiors and inadequate emergency exits can quickly turn panic into catastrophe.

Survivor Athipat “Ice" Wijarn, whose bandmates were performing when the blaze broke out at the Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao bar and restaurant, summed up the chaos in remarks to AFP: “Everybody was running, squeezing into each other."

Thai authorities have launched an investigation into the blaze.

The scenes echoed those from another nightclub disaster in Bangkok nearly 17 years ago. Thanawut Santhong, who lost three friends in the New Year fire at the packed Santika Club that killed 62 people, had described similar moments of panic to AFP.

“People were in panic after the blackout. The situation became worse as people screamed ‘fire’ and tried to escape," Santhong had said.

He recalled partygoers crying, screaming, pushing and stepping over one another as they struggled to reach the club’s limited exits. Santhong also told the Bangkok Post that guests had been handed sparklers during the countdown to 2009 before smoke engulfed the club and the lights suddenly went out.

The use of sparklers also featured in another devastating nightclub blaze at Le Constellation in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana. The bar caught fire in the early hours of January 1, 2026, killing 41 people—most of them teenagers—and injuring another 115.

Investigators, supported by viral videos from the scene, believe patrons celebrating the New Year raised champagne bottles fitted with sparklers too close to the basement ceiling, igniting sound-insulation foam and triggering the blaze.

In December 2025, India witnessed a similar tragedy when a fire at Birch by Romeo nightclub in Goa claimed 25 lives. Among the victims were four members of the same family on their first holiday together.

Harish Singh, recounting the incident to the Hindustan Times, said the family became trapped in the stampede that followed.

“The sisters rushed inside, followed by Vinod to save their kin. Everyone was running around and some people were stuck in the kitchen. The family tried to escape but couldn’t come out as everyone was pushing each other and there were no proper exits," he said.

One of the world’s deadliest nightclub fires occurred in 2013 at the Kiss nightclub in Santa Maria, Brazil. The blaze began after members of a performing band lit flares that ignited the venue’s ceiling insulation.

While several victims died in the flames, most of the 242 people killed succumbed to toxic smoke and asphyxiation as they struggled to escape.

“The last time I ran, it was to save myself from death," survivor Kelen Giovana Leite Ferreira, who later underwent the amputation of part of her right leg, told a court eight years later during the trial that resulted in the conviction of two nightclub owners and two members of the Gurizada Fandangueira band.

Despite taking place across different countries and over many years, the tragedies shared striking similarities: overcrowded venues, indoor pyrotechnics or sparklers, flammable interiors, limited emergency exits and the deadly crush of people trying to escape.

About the Author

Shankhyaneel Sarkar

Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has c...Read More

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