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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.
The blaze at the Grand Diamond City hotel-casino in Poipet in Cambodia’s northwest, within view of the Thai border, broke out late on Wednesday night.
“There are 19 dead so far as we see bodies and bones,” said Sek Sokhom, director of Cambodia’s Banteay Meanchey provincial information department. He warned the figure “could be higher” because rescuers have not yet reached parts of the complex.
A volunteer with Thai rescue group Ruamkatanyu Foundation, who wished to remain anonymous, said his team arrived at around 2 am (0730 GMT) and saw people jump from the building.
“I witnessed people running out of the building to escape from the smoke,” he said. Others packed onto a rooftop to avoid the flames.
“Then we saw some people jumping down,” the volunteer said.
