PHNOM PENH – As many as 10 people have died in a fire at a Cambodian hotel-casino on the border of Thailand, police said today.
The blaze at the Grand Diamond City hotel-casino in Poipet broke out late last night at around 11.30pm, Cambodian police said.
A provisional police report seen by AFP said “about 10 people died and 30 people injured”, adding that around 400 individuals were believed to be working at the casino.
Video footage shared online showed the massive complex ablaze, with some clips appearing to show people jumping from the burning building.
Local media reported that foreign nationals were inside the casino at the time of the fire.
A Thai Foreign Ministry source said they are coordinating closely with local authorities, with the injured transferred to hospitals in Thailand’s Sa Kaeo province.
“The authorities have been trying to control the fire including by sending in firetrucks from the Thai side,” they said.
A volunteer with Thai rescue group the Ruamkatanyu Foundation said the blaze started on the first floor but spread quickly along the carpets, leaping up through the multi-storey building.
The Grand Diamond City is one of a number of casino hotels clustered along the Thai-Cambodian border. – AFP, December 29, 2022
