By 3 News online staff with AP
Four people – believed to be French tourists – are dead and a dozen injured after a fire swept through a nightclub in Thailand.
The fire broke out early this morning at the Tiger Disco in Patong – a popular tourist spot on the southern resort island of Phuket.
Police colonel Jirapat Phothanaphan says the nationalities of the dead are not yet known, but 3 News understands the four dead are French tourists.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade says it is following procedure working to establish whether any New Zealanders are involved.
Mr Jirapat says the fire broke out about two hours before dawn. He says the cause of the blaze is not yet known, but that authorities suspect heavy rains that led to sparks at a nearby electricity transformer may have triggered it.
3 News / AP