1 year ago
41
POIPET, Cambodia (AP) — A monolithic occurrence astatine a Cambodian edifice casino Thursday injured implicit 60 radical and killed astatine slightest 19 — a fig that officials warned would emergence aft the hunt for bodies resumes Friday.
The blaze, which started astir midnight Wednesday, was enactment retired implicit 12 hours aboriginal astatine 2 p.m. Thursday, said Sek Sokhom, caput of Banteay Meanchey province’s accusation department. He said much than 60 radical were injured and the decease toll was expected to emergence erstwhile rescuers are capable to entree victims who were believed to inactive beryllium nether debris oregon successful locked rooms.
Videos posted connected societal media showed radical falling from a extortion aft they were trapped by the occurrence astatine the Grand Diamond City casino and edifice successful the municipality of Poipet.
In a video posted by Cambodia’s firefighting agency, a assemblage could beryllium heard shouting pleas to rescue radical trapped connected the extortion of the edifice complex, which is much than a twelve stories gangly astatine its highest point. The video showed astatine slightest 1 idiosyncratic falling arsenic the flames reached the roof.
“Oh, delight assistance rescue them. Pump water, pump water!” shouted onlookers.
The Department of Fire Prevention, Extinguishing and Rescue said it heard calls for assistance astatine 4 a.m. emanating from rooms connected the 13th, 14th and 15th floors. Hands and adjacent a mobile phone’s flashlight were seen waving from windows wrong the complex.
“The occurrence was massive, and was wrong the casino, truthful it was hard for our h2o cannons to scope it,” said a firefighter successful the video posted online by the occurrence department.
Many of those inside, some customers and staff, were from neighboring Thailand, which sent firetrucks and exigency workers Thursday to assistance header with the situation successful the bustling borderline town.
An archetypal probe recovered that the occurrence whitethorn person been caused New Year’s vacation decorations drafting excessively overmuch electricity, causing wires to overheat and burn, Sek Sokhom said. The dormant and injured comprised radical of respective nationalities, including Thai, Chinese, Malaysian, Vietnamese and Cambodian, helium said.
A section Buddhist temple was being utilized to person their bodies.
The Grand Diamond City casino analyzable has 500 employees, and had 1,000 customers Wednesday, according to a study from Soth Kimkolmony, a spokesperson for Cambodia’s National Committee for Disaster Management. It was unclear however galore were contiguous erstwhile the occurrence broke out.
“Right now, we are trying to bring the dormant bodies from the gathering down. I don’t deliberation determination volition beryllium immoderate survivors due to the fact that of precise heavy smoke. Even we each (the rescue staff) person to deterioration due cogwheel erstwhile we spell wrong the building, different we cannot respire astatine all,” said Montri Khaosa-ard, a unit subordinate of Thailand Ruamkatanyu Foundation, a societal payment enactment that sends volunteers to catastrophe scenes.
Thai and Cambodian rescue teams worked broadside by broadside successful Thursday’s hunt of the premises, but paused efforts their searched efforts astatine the dangerously damaged tract arsenic nighttime fell.
Thailand’s nationalist tv network, Thai PBS, reported that 50 Thais, some unit and customers, had been trapped wrong the casino complex. It cited reports that the exigency ward successful Aranyaprathet Hospital connected the Thai broadside of the borderline was afloat and immoderate victims had to beryllium sent to different hospitals.
Poipet successful occidental Cambodia is simply a tract of engaged cross-border commercialized and tourism other the metropolis of Aranyaprathet successful much affluent Thailand.
Casinos are amerciable successful Thailand. Many Thais sojourn neighboring countries specified arsenic Cambodia — a fashionable tourer destination with convenient planetary connections — to gamble. Poipet has a clump of much than a twelve casinos.
The Grand Diamond City casino is conscionable a abbreviated locomotion from the borderline checkpoint with Thailand and fashionable with customers who marque the four-hour thrust from the Thai capital, Bangkok.
___
Associated Press newsman Chalida Ekvitthayavechnukul successful Bangkok contributed to this report. Sopheng Cheang reported from Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
English (US)