A roaring blaze erupted in the early hours of Monday night at the Rong Beer Na Lat Phrao nightclub in Bangkok. 33 people lost their lives and 15 others were critically injured.
Band leader Athipat Wichan, 32, survived the inferno, but he sustained severe head and arm injuries. He has been speaking openly about the shock he felt when a wall of flames erupted while his band, Thotsakan, was performing to a packed crowd.
"I thought we’d grow old together, she scolded me each day—until she is gone," Wichan told BBC Thai at Nahathai Satjalert’s funeral.
Nahathai—witnessed in the band photo alongside Athipat—was the band’s female vocalist and both he and her partners had lost their lives in the blaze. The band’s other members that perished were male vocalist Thitiwat Kaewkanha, keyboardist Pruttipong Phutmon and drummer Nathaphat Thammanitha.
Athipat has said the tragedy has forced him to reconsider the safety of performing in venues that may not have adequate fire exits. "I want venues to uphold higher safety standards, so musicians can enjoy playing without fear," he said.
Officials say they are investigating whether negligence or failure to enforce regulations may have sparked the fire. The club’s emergency exits are reportedly locked and signage for exits was missing.
At the funeral, monks chanted in the background while condensed grief swelled in the hall. The surviving members of Thotsakan stood by the altar, eyes wet from loss, as the band’s future appears uncertain but not abandoned.
