‘Am I still beautiful?’: Injured Bangkok nightclub fire survivor asks boyfriend after escaping deadly blaze

As Tatsanai, 31, lay outside the burning Na Ladprao pub in Bangkok waiting for rescue workers, she turned to her boyfriend and asked: "Am I still beautiful?"

Her boyfriend, Phitsanu Nim-mian, 31, recounted the moment to reporters on Jul. 13 after accompanying her family to Phahon Yothin Police Station to file an official report, according to Khaosod English.

Tatsanai had told him earlier: "I can't take it anymore. I'm in so much pain. Am I still beautiful?"

He told reporters what he said to her:

"It's all right. Focus on getting treatment first. No matter what happens to you, I accept everything.

Just come home and be with the children. It doesn't matter if anything was lost. I only want you to be safe."

What happened that night

The fire broke out at the Na Ladprao pub in Chatuchak, Bangkok, at around 12:02am on Jul. 13, killing at least 27 people and injuring 63 others, as Mothership reported.

Most fatalities resulted from smoke inhalation. Flames reportedly spread rapidly through ceiling decorations, and many victims had rushed to the toilets at the back of the pub, where rescuers had difficulty reaching them.

Tatsanai had gone to the venue that night with colleagues from the cosmetic clinic where she worked. She had invited Phitsanu to join them, but he stayed home to care for her two children.

He drove her there around 9pm and planned to fetch her later. On his way home, one of his tyres burst, forcing him to call a mechanic.

He only learned about the fire when he received a call asking if he was Tatsanai's boyfriend.

The caller initially said her phone had been lost, then told him she had been severely burned.

When Phitsanu arrived at the scene, he found flames and thick black smoke engulfing the building. Tatsanai had managed to escape, but had to run through the flames to do so because the exit was narrow.

Bystanders used a cloth to extinguish the fire on her hair and head before she lay outside waiting for rescue workers.

Critical condition

According to the doctors, Tatsanai remained in critical condition with burns to her arms, legs, face and back. Doctors also sought permission from the family to shave her head and clean her wounds.

Hospital visits have since been suspended to reduce the risk of infection.

Tatsanai's father, Thuan Manpraphan, 61, told Khaosod English his daughter was being treated in the intensive care unit at Paolo Hospital Chokchai 4.

Though she had begun regaining consciousness, he said burns covered most of her body except her face.

The hospital told the family she would need to be transferred eventually, though no receiving hospital had been confirmed yet.

Calls for accountability

Phitsanu called for entertainment venues to have more emergency exits and clearly marked evacuation signs, saying Tatsanai had told him the venue's entrance and exit were both narrow.

He also weighed in on reports that an emergency exit had allegedly been locked to stop customers from leaving without settling their bills.

He told Khaosod English:

"If that is true, it is completely unacceptable. Money should never be considered more important than people's lives. If something like this happens again, how many more people will die, and who will take responsibility?"

Phitsanu claimed that official coordinator had reached out to the family with information or assistance.

He added that he had met Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt at the scene on the night of the fire, and was advised to register at Phahon Yothin Police Station.

He was told that government agencies would step in to help and that those affected would not be left without support.

Thuan said he believed the venue's negligence had contributed to the tragedy, and urged authorities to hold those responsible accountable.

Back home, Phitsanu said her two children continued asking where their mother was.

He told Khaosod English: "I can only tell them, 'Mum hasn't finished work yet. Dad will go and bring her home soon.'"