Harrowing images have emerged of casino guests sheltering on the roof ledge of a Cambodian hotel that caught fire late on Wednesday, killing at least 19 people.
Local authorities said several dozen patrons and staff were injured or remained unaccounted for after the hours-long blaze at Grand Diamond City, a casino hotel in Poipet, a commuter city in Cambodia's Banteay Meanchey province on the northwestern border with Thailand.
"There are 19 dead so far as we see bodies and bones," said Sek Sokhom, a spokesperson for the provincial government, told reporters. Sek said the death toll was likely to climb because rescuers had yet to reach many parts of the structure.
The casino hotel is one of a number of gambling spots in the city that are popular with Thai patrons and employ Thai staff. Gambling is illegal in Thailand, but the gambling industry is an important part of Cambodia's economy. On the country's eastern border, similar hubs serve Vietnamese guests.
Provincial police estimated the fire began at 11:30 p.m. local time, but the blaze wasn't put out for another five hours, having been spread across the complex by strong winds. The high and narrow location was a challenge for firefighters, said authorities, who dispatched several hundred rescue workers.
Rescuers said the complex lost power during the fire, trapping many victims on their floors or in their rooms, where they later died of smoke inhalation.
Nighttime pictures of the incident showed guests huddling on the roof and trying to climb to safety, while videos on social media appeared to show victims jumping from the building. Images taken the following morning showed the face of the hotel charred by flames and its windows blown out.
Thai rescue workers who crossed the border to assist said many lost their lives during their attempts to escape.
"Two people died immediately when they hit the ground, and around four to five [others] broke their legs," Peerapan Srisakorn, who is with the Aranyaprathet Rescue Foundation, told CNN.
Among the 400 people trapped in the hotel at the time of the fire, most were Thai nationals, The Phnom Penh Post reported on Thursday. About 700 Thais were treated for various injuries at hospitals in Thailand.
Cambodian authorities said the fire likely began on the first floor, but the exact cause was still under investigation.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
John Feng is Newsweek's contributing editor for Asia based in Taichung, Taiwan. His focus is on East Asian politics. He ... Read more
