3 Dead, Many Injured As Fire Rips Through Thailand Hotel This Afternoon

Three people are dead after flames ripped through a hotel tower, forcing some victims to leap from windows in a desperate bid to escape the inferno.

At least two people jumped as the fire spread through the hotel attached to Bangkok's CentralWorld, one of the world's biggest shopping centres, according to reports.

Seven people were injured.

There were claims that some of the fire exits were locked as people tried to flee the comple.

A massive cloud of black smoke billowed into the sky after the inferno started on the eighth floor of the hotel, which is popular with tourists.

There were scenes of panic as thousands of people were evacuated from the complex in Bangkok’s central shopping district as fire crews tries to tackle the blaze.

Police say the fire broke out in a storage room filled with paper.