BANGKOK: First the band saw smoke. Then the lights went out and an explosive fire ripped through the Bangkok bar and restaurant, spraying flames from the entrance into the street.
The inferno left at least 30 people dead, according to Thai news outlet Bangkok Post, including two members of the 11-person cover band on the July 12 bill.
At least two other bandmates were injured, among around 70 people who suffered from burns, smoke inhalation and other injuries, authorities said.
Two members of the group Tosakan recounted on Monday (July 13) the chaos of the blaze that raged through the Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao bar and restaurant, claiming the lives of their keyboardist, Kwang, and a singer, Breeze.
"The sight of my girlfriend's body being carried out, the sight of my friend who was burned in the fire and everything that happened are still etched in my mind," said singer and band leader Athipat "Ice" Wijarn.
Some members of his 11-person group, which plays Thai and international cover songs, were on stage when the fire broke out around 11pm local time on Sunday, Athipat said in a talk show interview.
He sustained a head injury and his drummer was in critical condition.
"Our keyboard player spotted the smoke first and shouted at me to run," Athipat later recalled, speaking to reporters.
"When I realised there was a fire, I could smell smoke... I shouted for my girlfriend (Breeze), but then the power went out," he added.
The pitch-black venue was also clouded in thick smoke, and the singer could not find Breeze, despite shouting her name, he said.
"Just as I got outside, the explosion suddenly erupted," Athipat said, showing his injuries.
He tried to revive Breeze by giving her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation when her body was brought outside, but it was too late.
"I felt terrible," he said, full of regret that he did not tell patrons to evacuate at the first sign of fire.
The venue had power outages before due to electrical problems, so he had assumed it was just another power glitch.
"I still feel I reacted too slowly. I should have shouted to warn everyone, but everything happened so fast and there was so much chaos that I didn't have time."
Bassist Anan "Tor" Prasert, 37, said he received minor burns but escaped the blaze relatively quickly -- with his bass guitar still slung over his shoulder.
"At first I thought it was just the stage smoke, you know?" Anan told reporters. "Then smoke started coming out from the ceiling.
He told a guitarist next to him to run, Anan said.
"At that point, I wasn't thinking about anything else. I just ripped out my jack cable and ran."
A burnt guitar and effects pedal board were lying on the pavement outside the bar on Monday, with flowers left on a partially melted electric keyboard.
A fifth member of Tosakan, a singer called Din, was missing until Monday evening.
"Din has been found. Please wait for an update on his condition. Hoping for his safety," the band said in a social media post. - AFP
