Fire at Cambodia hotel casino kills at least 16, injures around 50
Published on Dec 29, 2022 03:54 PM IST
- The Grand Diamond City casino is just a few metres from the border checkpoint with Thailand and is popular with customers who make the four-hour drive from the Thai capital, Bangkok.
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Published on Dec 29, 2022 03:54 PM IST
A fire at The Grand Diamond City casino and hotel in the border town of Poipet in western Cambodia killed at least 16 people and injured around 53. The fire lasted more than 12 hours. Neighbouring Thailand sent firetrucks to help fight the blaze in a bustling border town. (AFP)
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Published on Dec 29, 2022 03:54 PM IST
Videos posted on social media showed people falling from a roof after they were trapped by the fire. (AFP)
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In a video shared by Cambodia's firefighting agency on social media, onlookers could be heard shouting pleas to rescue people trapped on the roof of the hotel complex, which is more than a dozen stories tall at its highest point. The video showed at least one man falling as the flames reached the roof. (AFP)
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“The fire was massive, and was inside the casino, so it was difficult for our water cannons to reach it,” observed a firefighter on the video posted online by the fire department. (AFP)
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Many of the people inside the hotel, both customers and staff, were from the neighbouring country Thailand. In this picture, rescue workers can be seen carrying a victim on a stretcher after a fire at the Grand Diamond City hotel-casino in Poipet.(AFP)
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The blaze started around midnight Wednesday and was put out at 2 pm on Thursday, informed Sek Sokhom, head of Banteay Meanchey's information department. (AFP)
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“Right now, we are trying to bring the dead bodies from the building down. I don't think there will be any survivors because of the very thick smoke. Even we all (the rescue staff) have to wear proper gear when we go inside the building, otherwise, we cannot breathe at all,” said Montri Khaosa-ard, a staff member of Thailand Ruamkatanyu Foundation, a social welfare organization that sends volunteers to the sites of emergencies. (AFP)
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The number of deaths appeared likely to rise, as more bodies of those trapped inside were discovered and critically hurt people succumbed to their injuries. (AP)
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Banteay Meanchey police chief Sithi Loh said 360 emergency personnel and 11 firetrucks had been sent to the scene of the fire. (AFP)
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