People were seen jumping from a hotel in Cambodia after fire broke out at a casino complex. The death toll was expected to rise from last nightu2019s blaze which destroyed parts of the Grand Diamond City Hotel and Casino in Poipet, along the border with Thailand. Many of those injured are believed to be in critical condition.
The blaze, which ignited around Wednesday midnight , was put out over 12 hours later at 2 p.m. Thursday, said Sek Sokhom, head of Banteay Meanchey provinceu2019s information department. He added that more than 60 people were injured and the death toll was expected to rise once rescuers are able to access victims who were believed to still be under debris or in the locked rooms.The Grand Diamond City casino complex has 500 employees, and it had around 1,000 customers on Wednesday, according to a report from Soth Kimkolmony, spokesperson for Cambodiau2019s National Committee for Disaster Management. It was unclear how many were present when the fire broke out, and how many managed to flee to safety.
Prime Minister of Cambodia-Hun Sen on Friday expressed condolences for the victims and their families, and urged authorities to improve fire safety and response time for these kind of emergencies.The Grand Diamond City casino is just a short walk from the border checkpoint with Thailand and popular with customers who make the four-hour drive from the Thai capital, Bangkok. As gambling is illegal in Thailand, Poipet is a popular tourist destination in Cambodia.Authorities in Cambodia expressed his condolences and said the incident showed that all tall buildings in the country must have sufficient equipment to fight fires.India can learn from this incident and robust their precaution against such fires. Do India need strengthening in their fire fighting system? Comment.
