Family of Beer Bar Fire Victim Demands Accountability
A 23-year-old server from Ubon Ratchathani died in the Ladprao beer bar fire in Bangkok; his cousin demanded accountability, citing inadequate emergency exits and questioning the establishment's safety measures.
On July 13 at the Institute of Forensic Medicine at Police Hospital, Ms. Kalyawadee (surname withheld), 34, a cousin of Sitthipong Chaiyod, 23, from Ubon Ratchathani province—one of the victims of the Ladprao beer bar fire—arrived to claim her cousin's body after authorities confirmed his death in the incident.
Ms. Kalyawadee explained that she is a cousin of the deceased. After his mother in Ubon Ratchathani learned of the tragedy, she rushed Ms. Kalyawadee to Bangkok to handle documentation first, with plans to arrive the next day to take the body back for religious rites at their hometown.
Sitthipong had been working as a server in Bangkok for only one month. Since yesterday was a day off, he likely visited the establishment for the first time. Though they did not live together, when Ms. Kalyawadee saw news of the incident and received a call from home, she rushed to investigate, only to learn the devastating news that her cousin was among the dead.
Ms. Kalyawadee expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy and said the family's emotional state is dire. She questioned whether such an incident should ever occur and raised concerns about emergency exits. "If there had been more emergency exits, my brother could have escaped," she said. "While I may not be a nightlife person, this is a harsh lesson. It should not have happened. How will the establishment take responsibility? My brother was only 23 years old. The feelings are indescribable. As for their excuse about fearing drunk customers wouldn't pay—don't you have staff to watch that area? Shouldn't you have a contingency plan? No amount of money can bring my brother back to life."
