It was billed as a New Year's Eve blowout and a last-night celebration of the wildly popular, classy nightclub before it moved to a new location. "Goodbye Santika," the promotion poster read.

Before the revelry was over, at least 61 people were dead and more than 200 injured when they tried to flee what swiftly became a charred, gutted ruin in a glitzy Bangkok, Thailand, entertainment area.

Several witnesses said a fireworks display during the New Year's countdown ignited the blaze. But one foreigner said he saw no pyrotechnics at the club and a video shot by a guest showed many inside the club waving sparklers shortly before the fire erupted.