Phnom Penh, Dec. 29 (BNA): A massive fire at a Cambodian casino hotel on Thursday injured more than 60 people and killed at least 19 and officials warned it would rise after the search for bodies resumed on Friday.
The fire, which started around midnight Wednesday, was extinguished more than 12 hours later at 2 pm Thursday, said Sik Sukhum, chief of information for Banteay Meanshi Province.
More than 60 people have been injured, he said, and the death toll is expected to rise once rescuers can reach victims who are believed to be still under rubble or in locked rooms, according to the Associated Press.
Videos posted on social media showed people falling from a roof after being caught in a fire at the Grand Diamond City Hotel and Casino in the town of Poipet.
In video released by Cambodia’s firefighting agency, a crowd can be heard chanting pleas to rescue people trapped on the roof of the hotel complex, which is more than ten stories high at its highest point. The video showed at least one person falling as the flames reached the roof.
Sek Sukhum said that a preliminary investigation found that the fire may have been caused by the New Year’s holiday decorations bringing in too much electricity, causing the wires to overheat and burn.
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