WATCH | Three foreigners die in Bangkok hotel fire

Three foreigners were killed when a fire broke out at a hotel near Bangkok's popular backpacker district on Sunday night, authorities said, with seven others being treated in hospital.

A fire broke out on the fifth floor of the six-storey Ember Hotel, Bangkok's fire and rescue department said, with a woman dying on the scene and two men declared dead in hospital.

Authorities were still determining the nationalities of the deceased.

The hotel is near the Khao San area of Bangkok that is popular with backpackers and known for its bars and hostels.

“Authorities reacted quickly and the fire alarm sounded, but the smoke was fast,” Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt told reporters late on Sunday.

There were 75 people in the hotel, 34 of whom were rescued from the rooftop, he said on Monday.

The cause of the fire was still being investigated. The governor has ordered a citywide inspection of fire escape routes in hotels and entertainment venues.

“We have to build confidence and take care of tourists,” Chadchart said.

Tourism is a key driver of Southeast Asia's second-largest economy. Thailand recorded 32-million foreign tourist arrivals from January 1 to December 1 — up 28% from a year earlier — and they spent 1.5-trillion baht (R825.48bn).

In 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic, visitor numbers reached a record of nearly 40-million.

Reuters