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<cite class="auth">Channel NewsAsia - Monday, January 5
</cite>SINGAPORE : Two more Singaporeans have been confirmed dead from the fire which engulfed Bangkok’s Santika Pub during New Year celebrations early Thursday.
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Thai authorities confirmed their identities through DNA testing. DNA from both victims’ parents, provided by the Singapore Embassy, was used to make the positive identification as well as partial dental records. Singapore’s Foreign Affairs Ministry has sent its condolences to the victims’ families and is helping to repatriate the bodies. This brings the number of Singaporeans killed in the fire to three. The body of the first Singaporean identified — Teo Sze Siong — arrived home on Saturday night. His brother, Teo Sze Lam, said: "My brother was filial and he was always very concerned about my mom."
38—year—old Teo Sze Siong was among 62 people who perished in the Santika Pub’s ill—fated New Year’s Eve party in Bangkok. The air traffic controller was the fourth in a family of five children. The family said it was not Mr Teo’s first visit to the nightclub. He had been there on various occasions to catch up with Thai friends working in the aviation industry. So when the incident happened, it came as the shock to the family as they did not expect a tragedy like this to happen. Teo Sze Lam said: "I was hoping that they got the wrong person. But after speaking to the police the next day, and looking at his belongings, it all pointed to the fact that it was my brother. "He was not that badly burnt. We could see that the skin, the first layer is very reddish. His face is reddish, his hair is still there. His hair was not burnt at all."
His family has chosen to close his casket and will only show it to family and close friends. Mr Teo’s wife and mother are still coming to terms with the incident. A text message containing a New Year greeting sent just five minutes before midnight was the last time the family heard from Mr Teo.
His funeral will be held on January 7 at Mandai Crematorium. Four Singaporeans survived the blaze. Donald Loh and girlfriend Adeline Tok suffered burns and are being treated in a Bangkok hospital. Two others, Melvin Lee and Adrian Ou, returned home on Saturday night. — CNA/ms
