More than 100 tourists were evacuated this morning (Jan 5) after a fire ripped through an apartment block in a Thai tourist resort.
Some people were stranded on balconies screaming for help after flames engulfed rooms on the seventh floor of the building in Jomtien, eastern Thailand, at around 5 am local time.
Fire crews arrived and battled the inferno while helping panicked residents to safety. Some were rushed to hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation at the nearby Pattaya hospital.
Police and fire officers are now investigating what caused the blaze in one of the bedrooms of the Laguna Beach condominium block.
Officials said that many people were sleeping at the time of the fire and others ignored the fire alarm after believing it was a drill or mistake.
