Twenty-six survivors in ICU

Eighty-eight survivors of the New Year's Eve blaze at Santika Pub, including 19 foreigners, remained hospitalised yesterday, 26 of them in intensive care, according to a senior health official.

Three more victims, two women and one man, have succumbed to severe burns at Bangkok General Hospital, raising to 62 the death toll from the tragic accident, Narenthorn Emergency Centre's secretary-general Dr Chatree Charoenchevakul said yesterday.

Meanwhile the Rights and Liberties Protection Department (RLPD) yesterday promised to give the deceased victims' families about Bt80,000 per case in compensation and legal assistance if they wished to file lawsuits.

One of the victims, Wiphawan Thanompanyarak, 30, died at 9pm on Friday, and her body was sent to the Forensic Medicine Institute of the Police Hospital, from which her relatives have already reclaimed it. Yutthana Sinpaibulsilp, 26, died at 10.54pm, and the Bangkok General was contacting relatives to reclaim the body.

Another comatose victim, Wirachat Thienthong, 23, was pronounced dead at 3.10pm yesterday. She was also at Bangkok General.

Chatree said the Public Health Ministry would contact private hospitals to negotiate victims' medical expenses and urge the nightclubowner to take responsibility; if that was not possible, the matter would be forwarded to the Cabinet.

RLPD chief Suwana Suwanjutha said yesterday that her office was coordinating with police to give each of the families of those who died in the fire Bt30,000 for the death, Bt20,000 for funeral expenses and up to Bt30,000 in compensation for loss of future financial support. After police conclude the case, an RLPD subpanel will consider the compensation payment within 108 days, she added.

Yesterday afternoon, Suwana went to Ramathibodi and Rajvithi hospitals to notify the families entitled. She said they could also contact the RLPD for help on the 15th floor of the Justice Ministry in person and any wishing to file lawsuits over their losses could get legal assistance from the RLPD, which had a support fund for court and lawyers' fees.

Meanwhile, National Health Security Office (NHSO) secretary-general Winai Swasdivorn confirmed that NHSO subscribers injured in the fire could get emergency treatment under the universal health scheme at nearby hospitals, which would then be reimbursed from the NHSO fund before transferring them to the hospitals at which they were registered.

Thirteen victims of the Santika Pub fire have yet to be identified, prompting police to carry out DNA checks, Assistant Police CommissionerGeneral Pol Lt General Boonruang Pholphanit said yesterday.

Five unidentified bodies are at Chulalongkorn Hospital and eight at the Police Hospital.

Boonruang said police would use the same methods of disastervictim identification as for Tsunami victims, Xraying to detect traces of broken bones to compare with medical records. Boonruang urged relatives of those still missing to bring per¬sonal belongings to the DVI team for DNA samples to be compared with the bodies. DNA samples may also be taken from parents, he said.

The commander of Metropolitan Police Area 5, Pol Maj General Chokchai Deeprasertwit, said police had sent warrants for the interroga¬tion of nightclub employees and that, if they did not show up after three warrants were sent, police could ask for arrest warrants. Police have not yet located Visuk Setsawad, a major shareholder in the Santika Club, he added.

A Suan Dusit Poll yesterday revealed that the Santika fire had caused fewer people to go out clubbing. The survey on 1,081 Bangkok nightclubgoers and workers from January 13, found that 70.78 per cent feared such a tragedy would occur at other night entertainment places believed to have poor safety, while 29.22 per cent said otherwise, on the grounds that it was a freak accident.

Some 59 per cent believed fewer people would go clubbing, out of fear or on parents' orders. Some 64 per cent believed partygoers would exercise more caution in selecting venues that met safety standards and would drink less. Over a third urged the authorities to get tough on nightclub licences while 23.22 per cent urged strict checks on safety standards and fire escapes, and 16.65 per cent called for fire drills at all venues.