Footage today (April 10) from the shopping mall in Bangkok where three people were killed after flames ripped through rooms on the eight floor.

The victims, all shopping mall staff, were overcome by thick fumes and leapt from the eighth floor of the building, which also includes a convention hall and adjoining hotel.

The fire started in a ventilation duct and spread to a documents storage room. Staff are understood to have been trapped by the inferno before footage showed them leaping from the window as they tried to avoid being suffocated.

Thick black smoke was seen billowing out, and explosions were heard.

The fire happened in a back room office block joined to the shopping mall and next to the hotel.

Several people were taken to hospital for smoke inhalation after the fire which started at around 5.40pm.

Speaking tonight, a waiter from a restaurant inside the shopping mall said staff ''smelled smoke'' before fleeing in panic.

The man, named Apichai Ponchai, said: ''There was a strong smell of smoke so I knew something wasn't right. There were two or three minutes of confusion then everybody started running. I went outside and saw the fire from the side of the building.''

Bangkok governor Aswin Kwangmuang said the fire started in a document room on the eighth floor of the shopping centre.

The whole 16-storey building was ordered closed pending an investigation into the cause of the fire and the effectiveness of its fire suppression system.

Footage tonight from the shopping mall in Bangkok where three people were killed after flames ripped through rooms on the eight floor.

The victims, all shopping mall staff, were overcome by thick fumes and leapt from the eighth floor of the building, which also includes a convention hall and adjoining hotel.

Fire started in a ventilation duct and spread to a documents storage room. Staff are understood to have been trapped by the inferno before footage showed them leaping from the widow as they tried to avoid being suffocated. Thick black smoke was seen billowing out, and explosions were heard.

Police on the scene tonight said that no hotel guests or hotel staff from the ''Centara Grand at CentralWorld'' hotel.

The fire happened in a back room office block joined to the shopping mall and next to the hotel.

Several people were taken to hospital for smoke inhalation after the fire which started at a round 5.40pm.

Speaking tonight, a waiter from a restaurant inside the shopping mall said staff ''smelled smoke'' before fleeing in panic.

The man, named Apichai Ponchai, said: ''There was a strong smell of smoke so I knew something wasn't right. There was two or three minutes of confusion then everybody started running. I went outside and saw the fire from the the side of the building.''

Bangkok governor Aswin Kwangmuang said the fire started in a document room on the eighth floor of the shopping centre. The whole 16-storey building was ordered closed pending investigation into the cause of the fire and the effectiveness of its fire suppression system.