The rescuers stated a minimum of 11 individuals have been killed however the loss of life toll was anticipated to rise a lot larger from the blaze on the Grand Diamond City Hotel and Casino in Poipet, which borders Thailand.
Patcharin Thaenthong, chief of a Thai rescue staff who responded to emergency calls from Cambodian authorities, stated among the victims appeared to have died from smoke inhalation.
“When we arrived, we could not get in because the fire had already taken over (most of) the buildings,” he stated.
Photos from the scene present big shiny amber flames and plumes of smoke rising from the advanced.
Peerapan Srisakorn, from the Aranyaprathet Rescue Foundation, stated he noticed individuals leaping off burning buildings.
“Two people died immediately when they hit the ground and around four to five (others) broke their legs,” he stated.
Peerapan stated he additionally noticed a minimum of 9 extra our bodies contained in the buildings.
He suspects the hearth began at a decrease flooring restaurant earlier than spreading to different components of the compound.
“Some people ran to the rooftop, (thinking) that the Cambodians might have a rescue crane to help – but they didn’t have one,” he stated.
Weather circumstances could have helped the hearth to unfold, he added.
“It was very windy last night,” he stated.
“The fire spread up quickly to the upper floors and then to every side, engulfing the whole building.”
He stated he additionally noticed a constructing lose electrical energy and the lights go off.
It stays unclear whether or not the hearth has been totally extinguished.
Patcharin, the rescue chief, stated he may nonetheless see giant quantities of smoke, however was now not seeing flames.
Banteay Meanchey Provincial Police Commissioner, Major General Sithi Loh stated 300 cops, 11 hearth vehicles and various helicopters had been deployed.
The explanation for the hearth stays unclear and the lodge’s slim and elevated format had made it troublesome to completely assess the standing of the blaze, he stated.
Poipet, a transport hub between Cambodia’s Siem Reap and the Thai capital Bangkok, is thought for its many casinos.
Almost all types of playing are unlawful in Thailand, although it stays a preferred vice within the nation with many Thais crossing the border to gamble legally.
