[Anchor]

A major fire disaster has occurred at a pub in Bangkok, Thailand. As many customers were unable to find emergency exits and became trapped inside, at least 27 people have died and over 60 have been injured.

Reporter Kim Minpyo has the story.

[Reporter]

At the moment of the explosion, massive flames erupted from the building with intense force.

Terrified people ran out, screaming in panic.

Inside the building, which was instantly engulfed in black smoke, a desperate escape unfolded amidst the chaos.

Some people even ran out with their clothes on fire.

The fire occurred at a pub in the northern part of Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, near midnight on Sunday.

The damage was severe as the venue was crowded with customers late at night, and many rushed toward the restroom, which had no emergency exit.

[Search and Rescue Worker: This person inhaled smoke. This is the fifth one (found in the restroom alone).]

A significant number of the 27 fatalities were discovered in the restroom.

[Anutin Charnvirakul / Prime Minister of Thailand: Customers crowded into the restroom to escape the smoke and flames (which led to the heavy casualties).]

Additionally, among the 63 injured, 22 are in critical condition.

It is reported that a singer who was performing live at the pub also fell victim to the tragedy.

[Sukanya Wongwonwai / Live Performance Singer: I heard that fellow singers were on stage and had difficulty evacuating because they were blocked by musical instruments.]

As the identities of all victims have not yet been confirmed, it is not known whether any South Korean nationals were among the casualties.

Authorities are investigating allegations that while there were four emergency exits at the pub, they were either blocked by tables and chairs or locked entirely.

[Chitphong Kataphong / Volunteer: There was a sign on the exit that said 'Staff Only,' and the door was locked.]

This fire has been recorded as the worst disaster in Thailand in 17 years, since a club fire at the beginning of 2009 that left 67 people dead and over 200 injured.

(Video Editing: Lee Seung-yeol)