Cambodia casino fire: Death toll rises to 26; rescue operation called off

Sek Sokhom, director of the Banteay Meanchey provincial information department told news agency AFP,"The death toll is 26, including 21 Thai nationals.'' Sokhom said the search was called off because the rescuers reached all parts "that we thought might have victims."

The fire broke out at the Grand Diamond City hotel-casino late Wednesday, according to the Cambodian Police. A video shared by the news agency AFP showed the complex engulfed in flames as firefighters arrived to douse the fire.

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Some other photographs and videos showed people huddling on windowsills and some desperately jumping from the roof to escape the flames.

More than 400 employees and patrons were inside the casino complex when the fire broke out.

Several people have been injured with most of them taken to Thailand for treatment. Local officials on the Thai side of the border said over 50 people had been hospitalised with 13 in critical condition.

The fire was extinguished on Thursday afternoon and around 100 Thai rescue personnel swarmed the casino complex throughout the day to search for survivors or bodies. By night, the rescuers were forced to call off their efforts with an official from the Ruamkatanyu Foundation telling the news agency that conditions were too dangerous to continue.

The rescue operations resumed Friday morning and got over in the evening. Teams of the Cambodian army and police and volunteers from Thailand were part of the search operations.

(With inputs from agencies)

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