Page 6 - aruba-today-20220806

A6 WORLD NEWS
Saturday 6 auguSt 2022
14 die in fire at pub in Thailand, many critically injured

By TASSANEE VEJPONGSA security guards with their
BANGKOK (AP) — Fourteen clothing on fire.
people were killed and A waitress, Thanyapat Sorn-
dozens badly injured when suwanhiran, told Thai televi-
a fire broke out early Friday sion reporters that she also
at a crowded music pub saw smoke near the stage.
in eastern Thailand, police “I shouted ‘fire’ to cus-
and rescue workers said. tomers, and I was near
At least a dozen survivors the doors, so I directed
were in critical condition. them out. I kept shouting
Videos on social media ‘fire, fire’ and the security
showed thick black smoke guards were also helping
and then flames pouring lead people out,” she said.
from the front entrance as A DJ at the pub who did not
people attempted to flee, identify himself told PPTV
some with their clothing on that the fire had spread
fire. Police said the fire was quickly, in about a minute,
reported around 12:45 a.m. when he heard the sound
The Mountain B pub in Sat- of an explosion, shattering
tahip district of Chonburi windows.
province, about 160 kilo- Police chief Atthasit said
meters (100 miles) south- the club had three en-
east of Bangkok, was lined Major fire damage fills the interior at the Mountain B pub in the Sattahip district of Chonburi trances: at the front, on the
province, about 160 kilometers (100 miles) southeast of Bangkok, Thailand.
with flammable sound- Associated Press side for unloading goods
proofing, and it took two and at the back. Thai pub-
hours for firefighters to put of his body died later, po- Likitvong, chief of the hos- lecting evidence. lic television station TPBS re-
out the blaze, Manop The- lice, rescuers and Queen pital’s medical team. “In “The fire started at the top ported that the back door
prith of a private emergen- Sirikit Naval Hospital said. a medical sense, the situ- right corner of the stage,” was often locked.
cy rescue service group The hospital said 15 pa- ation for patients suffering a witness identified only as Prime Minister Prayuth
told Thailand’s PPTV televi- tients required intubation, from this degree of burns Nana told PPTV. “The singer Chan-ocha urged that
sion news. His group said 40 with most suffering third-de- can change sharply in the must have seen it too, so business operators and of-
people had been injured. gree burns over more than next 48 hours.”The cause of he shouted ‘fire’ and threw ficials ensure that safety
Several witnesses de- 60% of their bodies. Two pa- the fire is under investiga- away the microphone.” measures are in place for
scribed seeing smoke and tients were transferred to a tion, provincial police chief “I am quite shocked. But I entertainment venues na-
fire on the ceiling near the hospital in Bangkok for ad- Maj. Gen. Atthasit Kijjahan am lucky that when I saw tionwide, especially in ar-
stage, followed by explo- vanced treatment. told PPTV. He said the pub’s the fire, I could get myself eas with large numbers of
sions. Thirteen people died “All the patients are consid- owner and staff were giv- together and get out of tourists arriving after mea-
at the scene and another ered to be in critical condi- ing statements to police there,” she said, adding sures to control the corona-
person with burns over 90% tion,” said Capt. Anucha and investigators were col- that she saw several pub virus were eased.q

Farmers’ group: Talks with Dutch govt

delivered ‘too little’

By MIKE CORDER in an attempt to ease the sented by LTO.
THE HAGUE, Netherlands crisis. Rutte said dialogue is Farmers angry at the target
(AP) — The leader of the “crucial” to restore confi- of slashing nitrogen emis-
Netherlands’ top agricul- dence. sions 50% by 2030 have
tural lobby group said that Sjaak van der Tak, chair- blockaded supermarket
a first round of talks Friday man of the main farmers’ distribution centers, parked
with a delegation led by lobby group LTO, that rep- tractors on highways and
Prime Minister Mark Rutte resents some 30,000 farms dumped garbage includ-
about the government’s in the Netherlands, said ing manure and asbestos
nitrogen emissions reduc- the government had given on roads in recent weeks.
tion goals delivered “at the ground in the talks, but “at Rutte has criticized what Protesting farmers talk at a blockade outside a distribution
moment, too little” for thou- the moment, too little.” he said are small groups of center for supermarket chain Aldi in the town of Drachten,
sands of farmers living in un- “The Cabinet did not want farmers who he says have northern Netherlands, Monday, July 4, 2022.
certainty. to make more concessions, endangered others with Associated Press
The emission targets have the Cabinet apparently the nature of their protests.
sparked disruptive protests needs more time to pre- “Willfully endangering oth- tural policy and a feeling The government has ear-
in recent weeks and Johan pare for the next talks,” he ers, damaging our infra- among farmers that their marked an extra 24.3 bil-
Remkes, a veteran political said. structure and threatening efforts in recent years to lion euros ($25.6 billion) to
bridge builder who led Fri- Two main activist farmers’ people who help clean reduce emissions have not finance agricultural reforms
day’s talks, acknowledged organizations demanding up is beyond all limits,” he been acknowledged. that will likely make many
that there is a “deep crisis concessions from the gov- wrote on Twitter last week. The government has been farmers drastically reduce
of confidence” between ernment did not attend the Remkes said the crisis of forced to act after courts in their number of livestock or
the parties, while also de- talks in the central city of confidence “goes deeper recent years began block- get rid of them altogeth-
scribing the discussions as Utrecht because they say than the current nitrogen ing permits for infrastruc- er. Provincial authorities
“exceptionally construc- they do not trust Remkes, a discussion” and has been ture and housing projects have been given a year
tive.” member of Rutte’s political caused in part by years because the country was to formulate plans to cut
Further talks are planned party, but they were repre- of government agricul- missing its emissions targets. emissions.q