A massive fire at a Cambodian hotel casino that lasted more than 12 hours has killed at least 19 people and injured more than 60, while other victims were apparently not yet accounted for as of Thursday. Close neighbor Thailand sent firetrucks and emergency workers to help cope with the crisis.
Some victims were believed to still be under debris or in locked rooms that rescue teams could not immediately access, so the death toll is expected to rise.
The dead and injured comprised people of several nationalities, including Thai, Chinese, Malaysian, Vietnamese and Cambodian. A local Buddhist temple was being used to receive their bodies. Videos posted on social media sites show people falling from a roof after they were trapped by the fire at the Grand Diamond City casino and hotel. The video also showed at least one man falling as the flames reached the roof.
The blaze, which started around midnight Wednesday, was finally put out at 2 p.m. Thursday.
Casinos are illegal in Thailand, but neighboring countries such as Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos host the lucrative industry. Cambodia has an especially active casino industry because the Southeast Asian country is also a popular tourist destination with convenient international connections.
The Grand Diamond City casino complex has 500 employees, and had 1,000 customers on Wednesday.
