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Just 30 minutes into 2009, Thong Lor police received a call alerting them of an inferno at the upscale Santika Pub on Soi Ekamai 9. Police and rescue workers rushed to help revellers escape the inferno that left 59 dead and more than 240 injured.

Some rescue workers said they ended up having to watch helplessly as people were being engulfed and killed in the flames. After the two hours it took to get the fire under control, 54 bodies - many charred beyond recognition - were found inside.

Ironically, the party had been promoted under the theme "Goodbye Santika", because the nightclub's owner was moving the premises.

Of the 243 people who sustained injuries, 54 are in a serious condition, with 13 still under intensive care, according to the Public Health Ministry's Narenthorn Emergency Centre. Some 19 hospitals across the capital are treating the victims.

The cause of the fire has yet to be officially determined though witnesses said the blaze began during a pyrotechnic display.

Public Health Minister Witthaya Kaewparadai said he has instructed all hospitals to provide the victims with the best treatment, adding that the ministry was ready to transfer the injured to hospitals under its jurisdiction, such as Rajavithi Hospital and Nopparat Rajathanee General Hospital. The minister has put the Narenthorn Emergency Centre's secretarygeneral Dr Chatree Charoenchevakul in charge of the injured and has said that the ministry will cover all medical expenses.

Of the 13 injured revellers admitted to Chulalongkorn Hospital, five were in a serious condition with 40 per cent burns, including Japanese tourist Kaieshi Wada.

Meanwhile, of the 30 bodies sent to Chulalongkorn, 23 have already been identified of which seven have been claimed by relatives, said deputy chief of the Disaster Victim Identification Division, Pol LtColonel Nithithorn Yuktasewi.

Metropolitan Police Area 5 chief Pol MajGeneral Chokchai Deeprasertvit said that no charges had been filed yet because the cause of the fire was still not confirmed. However, according to police interviews with some of the survivors, the fire may have been sparked by a decorative item on the ceiling before it quickly spread to the stage and other parts of the building. Chokchai said forensic police would take about two or three weeks to determine the cause of the fire.

Earlier yesterday, Police Commissioner General Phatcharawat Wongsuwan ruled out the possibility of it being arson, because, he said, nobody would have wanted such a high number of casualties.

The police are also looking for owners of the 28 cars left at the pub's parking lot. The site has also been declared as a disaster zone by the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department as per regulations set by the Finance Ministry.

In related news, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva yesterday commented on the preliminary reports, saying the fire might have been cause by fireworks inside the Santika Pub.

"The question is why did they let someone set off fireworks inside?" Abhisit said to reporters while visiting the 10 victims admitted at Camillian Hospital yesterday morning. The prime minister, who was at the smouldering site at about 7am, returned to the scene later for a briefing from the police commissioner general.

Meanwhile, Vadhana district director Worapoj Inthulak said his office had set up an emergency centre help relatives of the victims. The names of the dead or injured can be checked by calling (02) 381 2285, (02) 381 8930, extensions 70156.

Worapoj said his office was also going to check the structure of the pub to determine if it conformed with safety standards.