CAMBODIA: A massive fire at a hotel-casino on Cambodia’s border with Thailand has killed at least ten people, with 53 injured and eight individuals still missing, local media and police said on Thursday. Officials say there were about 400 people inside the building when it caught fire.
In the border town of Poipet, at the Grand Diamond City hotel-casino, the fire broke out around 23:30 (16:30 GMT) on Wednesday, as per Cambodian authorities, who have not mentioned any casualties.
Footage circulating on the social platform shows what appears to be people jumping or falling from higher stories. According to local media, the hotel facing the border was crowded with Thai nationals.
The authorities are still investigating the cause of the fire.
A rescue team was sent from Thailand across the border to tackle the fire, with group head Patcharin Thaenthon claiming that the fire’s ferocity prevented them from getting to the area.
He told the media, “When we arrived, we could not get in because the fire had already taken over the buildings.”
A representative of Thailand’s foreign ministry told the local news agency that some of the injured were sent to hospitals in the province of Sa Kaeo. Sa Kaeo Province’s statement made no mention of the nationalities.
Poipet, a key crossing point between the two nations, is well-known for its casinos, and many Thai citizens visit because gambling is generally prohibited in Thailand.
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