A lightning strike has been blamed for starting a fire in a Thailand nightclub in which four foreign visitors died.
The blaze on Friday in the Tiger Pub in the holiday resort of Patong on the island of Phuket also left 20 people with injuries.
Reports from Thailand said the dead are all foreigners although no Brits are thought to have been among them.
Phuket deputy governor Chamroen Tipayapongtada told news agency AFP: “There are four confirmed dead. We believe they are foreign tourists but it’s not yet confirmed.”
The fire was said to have totally destroyed the second floor of the nightclub and the victims’ remains were so charred identification has so far proved impossible.
Two of the injured, including a French national, are said to be in a critical condition in hospital.
The Daily Telegraph said the incident will raise further concerns about the safety of nightclubs in Thailand following a fire in Bangkok in 2009 which left 60 dead.