There is a famous quote “Wherever comes man comes tragedy and comedy also” which, although it’s certainly not funny, seems a very fitting description of modern-era disasters in Pattaya.
Since the early 1960s, Pattaya has enjoyed a meteoric rise to fame, and fortune.
The former sleepy fishing village is now one of the most famous tourist destinations in the world. The tourist masses have flocked to Pattaya and the city has boomed in population and size. New high-rise hotels and condo buildings dominate the skyline, symbolizing prosperity and Pattaya’s dominant position in Thailand’s tourism industry.
Pattaya’s meteoric rise has gone unchecked but not without incident. Disasters of varying extents have blighted the reputation of Pattaya City in recent years, disasters which could easily have been avoided.
Jomtien Pattaya Hotel Fire
On the 11th of July 1997, 91 people died in a fire at the Royal Jomtien Resort Hotel near Jomtien Beach after a leaking gas cylinder ignited and a fire quickly spread to the upper floors of the hotel. The hotel had no fire suppression measures in place, leaving guests trapped by the fire.
Apparently, the hotel staff had started locking the hotel’s fire exits to prevent guests from leaving without paying. Many guests jumped to their deaths to try and escape the smoke and fire. The lucky ones were plucked from the roof or their open window by helicopter. The majority of the dead were found behind the locked fire exits where they had succumbed to heat and smoke inhalation.
Pattaya Nightclub Fire
On the 8th of May, 20006 8 people were killed in a fire at Route 999 Nightclub. As in the Royal Jomtien Resort Hotel fire, locked fire exits were again to blame, trapping all 8 inside without a route of escape. Reports suggest the fire started before the nightclub opened, and that all the people who died were staff.
Pattaya Ferry Disater
Safety on Thailand ferries has long been a matter of concern, and on November 3rd, 2013 6 people died and dozens were injured when the overcrowded ferry ‘Koh Lahn Travel 1’ capsized 500 meters off Nuan Beach, Koh Lahn.
The boat encountered difficulties either due to an engine fire or hitting an obstacle, resulting in passengers fleeing to the top deck, which resulted in the boat becoming top-heavy and unstable.
The ferry capsized and left passengers stranded in the water without life vests. The ferry was licensed to carry 150 passengers, but some reports say as many as 209 passengers were onboard.
Although all these Pattaya disasters were initially caused by accidents or human error, it appears that they reached disastrous proportions due to measures taken to maximize profit. A desire to be prosperous ultimately led to a flouting of regulations and standards, which had they been in effect might have resulted in these 3 disasters being mere incidents rather than the disasters they unfortunately were.