A rescue team walks through a burned out part of the Grand Diamond City hotel-casino following a major fire at the complex, in Poipet in Banteay Meanchey province on December 30, 2022. – At least 19 people were killed and many others are feared dead in a fire at a Cambodian casino, officials said, with a rescuer describing how victims hurled themselves from a ledge in a desperate bid to escape the flames. (Photo by Tang Chhin Sothy / AFP)
The bodies of ten Thais who were killed in a Cambodian casino fire on Wednesday were brought back to Aranyaprathet district of Sa Kaeo Province this morning (Friday), to be claimed by their relatives.
About 20 more bodies are believed still to be trapped in the ruins of the Grand Diamond City casino, as Thai and Cambodian rescue teams await confirmation from construction inspectors that the building is safe for them to enter to search for those still unaccounted for.
One of the rescuers said that there is a danger that the building may collapse and, therefore, an assessment of its safety by the inspectors is essential.
Three of the dead, believed to be Thais, are still in Poipet township, pending identification by Thai and Cambodian forensic officials.
Thai and Cambodian rescue teams are expected to resume their search for the missing people in the ruins this afternoon,after search operations were suspended yesterday for fear that the building may collapse. It had taken fire crews seven hours to extinguish the blaze, with the support of fire trucks sent from Thailand.
The casino is located about 200 metres from the Thai border in Aranyaprathet district. Casinos in Cambodia’s Poipet township are a favourite destination for Thai gamblers, especially during weekends, because there are no casinos in Thailand.
