Massacre at Chatuchak Market in Bangkok, Thailand – 1000 Animals Perish in Fire Outbreak

A devastating fire ripped through Bangkok's famous Chatuchak weekend market, killing around 1,000 animals in the cramped pet zone and gutting nearly 100 shops, prompting renewed calls for better animal welfare standards.

A huge fire swept through one of Bangkok’s biggest weekend markets on Tuesday morning, estimated to have caused the death of about 1000 animals and approximately 100 shops in the pet-selling area. Birds, cats, dogs, snakes, and other animals perished through suffocation as they were trapped inside the small cages and stalls that offered no escape from the fire.

Authorities say the fire, which started around 4:That occurred at 10:00 am local time and was as a result of an electrical short circuit. Animal life was the biggest loss as there were no reports of human casualties during the calamity. The pet area constituted 4 out of the 27 sections of the market and has for years received criticisms on poor animal living conditions.

“I came here, everything was destroyed, all burnt,” said a disappointed shop owner, 42-year-old Amporn Wannasut who stocked reptiles such as turtles and pythons. ”I was helpless. . . I could not do anything to assist them; they were all dead. ”

It burnt most of the 118 shops in the 1400 square meter pet zone of the supermarket. Many distressed vendors came to sign up for their respective compensation; some even cried over lost sources of income and animals. They found burnt cage structures and debris all over the place.

Chatuchak is one of the biggest outdoor markets in Southeast Asia, offering more than 15,000 stalls and attracting 200,000 people at the weekend. However, the pet section continued to be associated with issues of abuse and diseases that were previously experienced in the section.

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With Thailand’s authorities looking into the cause and extent of the incident, the tragedy brought back discussions on raising Animal Welfare Standards at the famous market in Bangkok.