The death toll from the Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao fire rose to 32 Wednesday as the government revoked the venue’s operating license, barred another entertainment business from opening at the property and promised legal action against those responsible for managing the business.
Five people who initially survived the July 12 Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao fire later died in hospital, according to the Police General Hospital’s Institute of Forensic Medicine. Authorities said all 32 victims had been positively identified.
Thirty survivors remained hospitalized Wednesday, including 15 in intensive care, while 44 had been discharged, according to the latest emergency medical update.
Police have interviewed at least 51 people and collected surveillance footage and other evidence. Investigators were preparing to meet building and electrical-system specialists as they examined possible criminal negligence, inaccessible emergency exits, flammable interior materials, unauthorized alterations and licensing violations.
No arrests had been announced.
Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao’s owners remained hospitalized and had not been questioned. A lawyer representing Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao said one owner was unconscious in intensive care, with doctors describing the prognosis as “50-50.”
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said people responsible for operating and managing Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao would face legal action. He also said the business license would be permanently revoked and another entertainment venue would not be allowed to operate at the site.
New Accounts Focus on Emergency Exits
The latest accounts of the Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao fire have intensified questions about whether customers could see or use the venue’s emergency exits.
A reconstruction based on the Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao’s seating plan, photographs and witness accounts suggests that one rear exit near the kitchen was hidden from much of the main room.
Customers seated facing the stage would have needed to turn away from the performance, locate a small exit marker toward the rear, move behind the bar and enter a narrow corridor partly occupied by beer crates, lockers and stored items.
The route reportedly ended at a door leading into a rear alley. One account said the door had a damaged latch and could appear locked unless it was pulled forcefully.
Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao employees who knew the layout reportedly escaped through that route. Only a small number of customers followed them.
Most Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao patrons instead moved toward the restrooms at the opposite side of the rear section.
Another door near the toilets reportedly lacked a clearly visible exit sign and had to be opened by security personnel.
One account alleged that the door had been secured with two padlocks to prevent customers from leaving without paying. Authorities had not confirmed the padlock allegation as an official finding.
Many victims were found in or near the restrooms and close to a side exit. The locations of the bodies have reinforced suspicions that customers became disoriented and ran toward the only doorway they could identify through smoke and darkness.
Investigators are trying to determine whether the exits were locked, blocked, poorly marked or simply invisible from the areas where customers were seated.
The distinction is important. An emergency exit can exist on an approved floor plan but provide little protection if customers cannot see it, do not know where it leads or must wait for an employee to unlock it.
Interior Ministry Says Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao May Have Operated Illegally
The Interior Ministry said Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao may have been operating unlawfully because it functioned as an entertainment venue while registered as a restaurant.
Interior Ministry Permanent Secretary Arsit Sampantharat said businesses offering live music, alcohol sales and dancing can fall within the legal definition of an entertainment venue.
“The operation of this brewery appears to fall within that category and may therefore be in violation of the law,” Arsit said.
Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao held a restaurant license and permission to host live music. It was not licensed as an entertainment venue and was located outside one of Bangkok’s officially designated entertainment zones.
Entertainment venues face stricter requirements governing their locations, operating hours, emergency systems and suitability for large crowds.
Restaurant licenses generally are easier and less expensive to obtain. They also allow businesses to operate in locations where licensed nightclubs, pubs and other entertainment venues may be prohibited.
The Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao fire has exposed a long-standing regulatory gap involving businesses that operate like bars or nightclubs while remaining legally classified as restaurants.
Such venues may have stages, live bands, DJs, large sound systems, extensive lighting and customers drinking late into the night. Separate agencies can approve food service, alcohol sales, amplified music and building use without determining whether the complete operation has effectively become an entertainment venue.
A restaurant also can change significantly after receiving its original license. It may add a stage, increase capacity, install soundproofing and shift its business toward live entertainment and alcohol without undergoing a complete licensing review.
Government officials must now determine whether Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao deliberately used the restaurant category to avoid stricter rules or whether the regulatory system allowed the business to evolve beyond its approved use without further scrutiny.
Owners Remain Unavailable for Questioning
The Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao owner’s medical conditions have prevented police from questioning them about the business’s operating procedures, renovations, emergency exits and licensing.
The testimony could help investigators establish who controlled the exits, whether rear doors were routinely locked and whether furniture or stored materials were allowed to obstruct escape routes.
Police also are examining whether the venue’s interior had been altered after its most recent inspection.
District officials inspected the business in April and reported finding two emergency exits, illuminated signs, emergency lighting and fire extinguishers.
The investigation now centers partly on the difference between the venue as it appeared during that inspection and the conditions customers faced on the night of the fire.
Authorities are examining whether tables, merchandise, beer crates or other items were later placed near escape routes.
The business’s lawyer said the operator was prepared to provide initial financial assistance to victims and their families.
Families of those killed were offered 10,000 baht each toward funeral expenses. The company also said it would compensate injured customers, while insurance was expected to provide additional payments after damage and liability assessments were completed.
Those payments do not resolve possible criminal responsibility or future civil claims.
Families Demand Justice
Relatives of the victims have called for a complete investigation, particularly into allegations that Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao emergency exits were hidden, obstructed or locked.
Among the dead were a husband and wife who left behind children ages 4 and 5.
Their relatives said no amount of compensation could replace the children’s parents or the family’s main earners. They demanded accountability for any safety practices that prevented customers from escaping.
Authorities said all 32 victims had been identified, allowing families to collect their remains and proceed with funeral and religious ceremonies.
The Chatuchak District Office also opened an assistance center for injured survivors and relatives of the dead.
Applications for Bangkok Metropolitan Administration disaster assistance must be submitted within 30 days of the fire. Families are required to provide identity documents, death certificates and police reports, while injured survivors must submit medical documents connecting their injuries to the incident.
Survivors Continue Treatment
The National Health Security Office said critically injured survivors who remain too unstable to move will continue receiving free treatment at their current hospitals beyond the initial 72-hour emergency period.
Patients covered by Thailand’s universal health care program will have eligible expenses paid by the agency.
Those no longer classified as critical but still requiring inpatient care may be transferred to hospitals within their registered health systems.
Officials said families would not be required to coordinate those transfers themselves and could seek assistance from hospital staff or the National Health Security Office.
With 15 people still in intensive care, the death toll may not be final.
The government has now revoked the business’s license, prohibited another entertainment venue from taking its place and promised legal action against those responsible.
What remains unanswered is how a recently inspected venue could fill with customers who apparently could not find a clear way out.
Thirty-two people are dead. The criminal investigation will determine whether that was the result of an electrical accident alone or a series of management and regulatory failures that turned the building into a trap.
