Phnom Penh, Cambodia
CNN
—
The death toll has risen to at least 19 and dozens more are still missing after a fire tore through a casino resort in Cambodia on Wednesday, local authorities said.
A further 70 people were injured in the fire at the Grand Diamond City Hotel and Casino in Poipet, a border town with Thailand, and the death toll is expected to rise as rescuers search for victims trapped in the building, spokesperson for Banteay Meanchey province, Sek Sokhom told CNN.
Thai rescue workers who responded to emergency calls from Cambodian authorities said some victims had jumped to their deaths from the burning building in a frantic attempt to escape.
“Two people died immediately after hitting the ground and about four to five (others) broke their legs,” said Peerapan Srisakorn, from the Aranyaprathet Rescue Foundation.
Peerapan told CNN his team alone saw 11 bodies, seven of which died of smoke inhalation and were found in locked hotel rooms, and said it was very difficult for rescue workers to to inspect the building as it was filled with thick smoke.
Videos on the group’s Facebook page showed rescuers wearing helmets and protective gear walking through smoky hallways.
Sokhom said the hotel uses an electrical system for rooms and elevators. So when the fire broke out and the building lost power, many people were trapped in their rooms and couldn’t escape.
About 700 Thai citizens have been rescued and sent to Thai hospitals, authorities said.
Some 300 police officers, 11 fire engines and a number of helicopters were deployed to the scene, according to Banteay Provincial Police Commissioner Major Meanchey. Gen. Sithi Loh.
The cause of the fire is not yet known and the narrow and elevated layout of the hotel made it difficult to fully assess the state of the fire, he said.
Poipet, a transport hub between Cambodia’s Siem Reap and the Thai capital Bangkok, is known for its multiple casinos and is home to many Thais who work in the city’s gambling industry. Almost all forms of gambling are illegal in Thailand, so many Thais cross the border to gamble legally.
Rescue teams were asked to suspend operations on Thursday evening, according to Somboon Kwan-uam, a member of the Thai rescue team, Poh Teck Tug Foundation.
It was not known whether the fire had been completely extinguished.
Somboon told CNN he no longer saw the fire at the hotel and casino, but heavy smoke continued to billow from the building. The Poh Teck Tug Foundation will resume operations in the morning and some of the bodies of the victims are expected to be brought back to Thailand on Friday, he added.
Another Thai relief team, the Ruamkatanyu Foundation, also suspended work for the night for security reasons, the group posted on Facebook.
Photos from the scene Wednesday night showed huge glowing amber flames and plumes of smoke rising from the compound.
Peerapan, from the Aranyaprathet Rescue Foundation, earlier told CNN he suspected the fire started in a downstairs restaurant before spreading to other parts of the compound. “Some people ran to the roof, (thinking) the Cambodians might have a rescue crane to help them – but they didn’t,” he said.
Weather conditions may have contributed to the spread of the fire, he added.
“It was very windy last night,” he said. “The fire quickly spread to the upper floors, then to all sides, engulfing the entire building.”
He said he also saw a building lose power and the lights go out.
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