Major shareholder says he has collected Bt2 million to hand over to victims' next of kin; people report ghostly sightings at the site

A major shareholder of the Santika Pub, Visuk Setsawad, yesterday met the police for the first time to give an account of the tragic incident and offered to distribute Bt2 million among the relatives of the dead and injured.

Meanwhile, rescue workers spent the day pumping out water from the club's basement in a search for more victims and evidence.

The inferno killed at least 63 people and injured nearly 250 others, of whom 73 are still in hospital with 32 being treated in intensive care units. Of the injured, 18 are foreigners of whom 10 are in ICU.

Ready to face up

Visuk, accompanied by his attorney, met deputy national police chief Pol General Jongrak Juthanon at Thonglor police station yesterday. The club owner told reporters that he had not gone into hiding, but was being treated for injuries sustained at the fire. He said he was ready to prove his sincerity and is ready to assume responsibility for the incident.

He added that he had already given Bt20,000 each to relatives of the dead and Bt10,000 each to those who had sustained injuries. So far he has compensated 11 people. He said he had also collected Bt2 million from the other 12 partners and would distribute this among the victims and their next of kin. Visut said a "war room" would be set up today to accept donations.

Dismissing rumours that the fire may have been set off to make insurance claims, Visuk said that he and his partners had not renewed their insurance coverage.

After completing the interrogation, the police chief said charges would also be filed against the managing director of White & Brothers, Suriya Ritrabue, for recklessly causing deaths and for serving persons under 20. White & Brothers ran the Santika Pub.

Hunting for evidence

Forensic officers and Bangkok Metropolitan Administration workers pumped out water that had doused the blaze in an effort to find more bodies, evidence and valuables that the victims have lost.

Many relatives were also outside the charred club conducting religious rites, while many others prayed, hoping their missing loved ones had survived.

Several teenagers also showed up at the site in the early hours of yesterday morning to take photographs and maybe sightings of the spirits of the dead.

Thais believe ghosts show up at the scene of their death three days later.

Meanwhile, Natthawut Urapen, 29, showed reporters photos of what appeared to be two ghosts.

He said he had taken the picture at 10pm on Saturday, and got frightened when he saw two figures in the picture - one looked like a man at a window and the other like a woman standing on the roof.