BANGKOK (Reuters) — An explosive fire at a popular pub in Thailand’s capital Bangkok has killed 27 people, with another 22 injured in critical condition, officials said on Monday, in one of the deadliest such incidents in the tourism hub in recent years.

“We have recovered 27 bodies, others are being sent to hospital,” said Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who visited the site of the fire that broke out at 11:57 pm local time.

Based on survivor accounts, he said the pub in Bangkok’s Chatuchak district rapidly filled with smoke after a fire broke out, forcing many to run to the back of the venue near the bathrooms, but there were no fire escapes.

Another 63 people injured in the incident have been hospitalized, said Suriyachai Rawiwan, director of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.

“The number of deaths has stabilized at 27,” he told Reuters.

Of those injured and hospitalized, 22 are in critical condition, Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt told reporters.

There were no initial reports of any Israelis killed or wounded in the fire, though Thailand is a very popular tourist destination for Israeli travelers.

By the time the rescue workers arrived at the scene of the accident, the fire that witnesses said ignited at the front of the venue’s stage had........

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