Three foreigners killed in Bangkok tourist hotel blaze

Three people, from the United States, Brazil and Ukraine, were killed after 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.

The fire broke out on the fifth floor of the six-story Ember Hotel, Bangkok's Fire and Rescue Department said. The hotel is near the Khao San area of Bangkok that is popular with backpackers and known for its bars and hostels.

A Brazilian woman died at the scene and two men, an American and a Ukrainian, were pronounced dead in hospital, police said in a statement on Monday, adding they were investigating the cause of the fire.

"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 hostel, 34 of whom were rescued from the rooftop, the governor said in a statement on Monday. He has ordered a city-wide 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 Jan. 1 to Dec. 1, up 28% from a year earlier.

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