Source: AFP

The death toll from a Thai nightclub fire has risen to 16, officials said Wednesday, with dozens more still in hospital.

The blaze broke out in the early hours of Friday morning, ripping through the Mountain B club in Chonburi province's Sattahip district, roughly 150 kilometres (90 miles) southeast of Bangkok.

A 23-year-old man was the latest fatality, the province's public relations office confirmed in a Facebook post.

His death overnight took the overall toll to 16, they said, adding that a further 16 people remained in hospital on respirators.

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, but rescue workers said last week that flammable acoustic foam on the walls of the club accelerated the blaze.

Over the weekend police detained the owner of the venue, Pongsiri Panprasng, later releasing him.

At a press conference this week, he denied reports that some of the doors at the nightclub were locked at the time of the fire, and apologised to the victims and their families.

Many of those who died at the scene were found crowded by the entrance and in the bathroom, their bodies severely burned, the rescue service said last week.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha has ordered an investigation into the tragedy.