At least 10 people have died in a blaze that engulfed a hotel and casino in Cambodia
A major fire burns through the Grand Diamond City hotel-casino in Poipet, Cambodia on December 29, 2022. © AFP
A huge fire engulfed the Grand Diamond City Hotel and Casino complex in the popular Cambodian tourist city of Poipet, just across the border with Thailand, on Wednesday night.
Nhem Phoeng, a top official at the Poipet town hall, told the Phnom Penh Post that more than “more than ten people died” as of 9:10 am local time, and over 30 were injured, many of whom were transported to Thailand and hospitalized there.
Phoeng added that most of the victims were Cambodian and Thai employees.
Videos posted on social media appear to show people sitting on window sills and falling to the ground while trying to escape. Peerapan Srisakorn, an official at the Aranyaprathet Rescue Foundation, told CNN he saw two people die and several break their legs after jumping from the burning building.
WATCH: #BNNCambodia Reports.At least 10 people were killed and 30 others injured in a massive fire at the Grand Diamond City casino-hotel in Poipet, Cambodia on the border of Thailand on Thursday. #Cambodia#Fire#accidentpic.twitter.com/SFutBUaXjr
— Gurbaksh Singh Chahal (@gchahal) December 29, 2022
WATCH: #BNNCambodia ReportsA fire at the Grand Diamond City Hotel and Casino in Poipet, near the Thai border, killed at least seven people.According to law enforcement, 53 people were injured, and 8 people went missing. pic.twitter.com/zQojI6iC7G
— Gurbaksh Singh Chahal (@gchahal) December 29, 2022
The fire raged for more than five hours, according to Major General Sithi Loh, the provincial police commissioner. Police said that 400 people were believed to have been inside the building when the blaze broke out.
Kun Kim, vice president of the National Committee for Disaster Management, was quoted as saying that helicopters and army commandos aided the rescue efforts.
According to AFP, Poipet’s casinos are popular among visitors from Thailand, where most forms of gambling are illegal.
