(Poipet) An electrical short circuit is at the origin of the fire of a hotel casino which made 26 dead in Cambodia, indicated Saturday the authorities, who also deplored the configuration of the building which delayed the helps.
The fire broke out on Wednesday evening in the Grand Diamond City hotel and casino in Poipet, a Cambodian city bordering Thailand.
The flames quickly spread and several people were forced to jump from their windows and balconies to escape them, according to videos posted on the internet and testimonies of rescuers.
“The accident was caused by an electrical short circuit,” said Kun Kim, vice chairman of the National Committee for Disaster Management, which confirmed the death of 26 people, including 17 Thais, a Malaysian and a Nepalese. .
“Some died from burns, others from the lack of oxygen, others were burned and died while looking for the exit,” he added, lamenting the delay taken by the firefighters to control the fire due to the lack of equipment and the configuration of the hotel complex.
A Thai casino employee, Neung, 42, said his father died in a hotel room after helping two women escape. “He devoted a lot of energy to helping them and he died of suffocation,” he told AFP. “Now I just want his body back.”
The search for bodies ceased on Friday evening as rescuers inspected the entire building, Kun Kim added. The Cambodian emergency services received help from their Thai counterparts who came from across the nearby border, and who took care of many wounded.
According to Thai authorities, more than 50 people have been hospitalized, 13 of whom were in critical condition as of Friday evening.