Funviralpark Poipet, Cambodia (AP) — More than 60 people were injured and at least 19 dead in a massive fire at a Cambodian hotel casino on Thursday.
The fire, which started around midnight Wednesday, was extinguished more than 12 hours later at 2 p.m. Thursday, said Sek Sokhom, head of the intelligence department of Banteay Meanchey province. He said more than 60 people were injured and the death toll was expected to rise as rescuers were able to access victims who were still believed to be under rubble or in locked rooms. .
A video posted on social media shows people falling from the roof after being caught in a fire at the Grand Diamond City casino and hotel in the town of Poipet.
In a video posted by Cambodia’s fire department, at its highest point, a crowd could be heard chanting pleas to rescue those trapped on the roof of a dozen-story hotel complex. At least one person was seen falling when it reached the roof.
“Oh, help them. Pump the water, pump the water!” cried the onlookers.
The fire department said they heard calls for help from rooms on the 13th, 14th and 15th floors at 4 a.m. Waving hands and even cell phone flashlights were seen from windows inside the complex.
“The fire was massive and inside a casino, making it difficult for water cannons to reach,” a firefighter said in a video posted online by the fire department.
Many of the customers and staff inside were from neighboring Thailand, and fire engines and paramedics were dispatched on Thursday to deal with the crisis in the bustling border town.
Sek Sokhom said initial research found that the fire may have been caused by the New Year’s decorations drawing too much power, causing the wires to overheat and burn. He said the dead and injured were made up of people from multiple nationalities, including Thai, Chinese, Malaysian, Vietnamese and Cambodian.
A local Buddhist temple was used to receive their bodies.
The Grand Diamond City casino complex has 500 employees and had 1,000 customers on Wednesday, said Soth Kimkolmony, a spokesperson for the Cambodian National Disaster Management Board. It is unknown how many people were there when the fire broke out.
“We are currently trying to remove the bodies from the building. You have to wear it or you won’t be able to breathe at all.” Disaster scene.
Rescuers from Thailand and Cambodia cooperated in a search of the facility on Thursday, but paused search efforts at the dangerously damaged site as night fell.
Thai PBS, Thailand’s public television network, reported that 50 Thais, both staff and customers, were trapped inside the casino complex. It cited reports that the emergency ward at Aranyaprathet Hospital on the Thai side of the border was overcrowded and some victims had to be sent to other hospitals.
Poipet in western Cambodia, opposite the wealthy Thai city of Aranyaprathet, is a hotspot for cross-border trade and tourism.
Casinos are illegal in Thailand. Many Thais visit neighboring countries such as Cambodia. Cambodia is a popular tourist destination with convenient international connections and gambling. Poipet has more than 10 casinos.
The Grand Diamond City Casino is a short walk from the Thai border crossing and is popular with guests who drive four hours from Bangkok, the capital of Thailand.
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Associated Press reporter Charida Ekvitayavechnukul from Bangkok contributed to this report. Sopheng Cheang reported from Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
