Investigators are still working to determine the cause of last night’s fire that killed two people at Bangkok’s CentralWorld shopping mall, police said Thursday.
Pathumwan police chief Col. Thamanon Boonreung said they don’t want to speculate on the cause of the blaze that broke out on the eighth floor of an the mall hotel until they complete the investigation. Thamanon said reports that a third person had died last night were due to unspecified “miscommunication.”
Mall management announced late last night that both men who died after jumping to escape the flames – 55-year-old Sakchai Jareunlap and 50-year-old Athit Khamsai – were employees.
Update: Evacuees say no fire alarms heard at CentralWorld
“Our company expresses our deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and sustained injuries. We take responsibility and will do everything in our power to compensate the families to the fullest extent,” CentralWorld reps said in a statement posted online.
ไฟไหม้ #เซ็นทรัลเวิลด์
คลิปจากกลุ่มไลน์ pic.twitter.com/DdKFsgmf5I— Gwynn Angkul (@gawingawan) April 10, 2019
Sakchai died upon impact while Athit succumbed to his injuries after being taken to the King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital. The mall plans to reopen at 2pm today Friday.
2 killed in CentralWorld mall blaze
Twenty other people – many employees – were injured after the sudden fire broke out and sent smoke streaming through the popular downtown mall, according to the Erawan Rescue Center. It reportedly started in an eighth floor room used to store documents.
This morning Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha also offered his condolences for the families of the deceased and injured. Suggesting he had some inside knowledge about the investigation, Prayuth added a helpful warning that citizens should be very careful around electrical outlets, wiring and appliances during the hot summer months.
Update: This story has been updated to reflect the mall’s decision to delay reopening until Friday.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misidentified where the fire broke out at being in an adjacent hotel. It was in fact the mall itself.
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