Death toll expected to rise as footage emerges showing people huddled on ledges on the burning building in Poipet.

 

At least 10 people have died and dozens have been injured in a fire that engulfed a casino hotel in Cambodia late on Wednesday, officials have said. Multiple videos shared online showed flames erupting from the Grand Diamond City hotel and casino in Poipet, a popular commuter town on the border with Thailand, as hundreds of rescue workers struggled to contain the blaze.

 

 

Footage showed the massive complex ablaze, with some clips appearing to show people trapped inside the burning building while others jumped from windows as rescuers tried to reach them. A provisional police report seen by Agence France-Presse said “about 10 people died and 30 people injured”, adding that about 400 individuals were believed to be working at the casino.

 

Local media reported that foreign nationals were inside the casino at the time of the fire. Nhem Phoeng, Poipet administrative chief, told the Phnom Penh Post that more than 400 people, most of them Thais, became stuck inside the casino. He said most of the deceased were Cambodian and Thai employees.