The confirmed death toll from a fire at the Grand Diamond City casino and hotel in Poipet, Cambodia, rose to 25 on Friday, according to Sek Sokhom, head of Banteay Meanchey province's information department1. The blaze started around midnight Wednesday and was extinguished more than 12 hours later on Thursday afternoon1. Poipet sits on the Thai border, and the casino is a short walk from the border checkpoint with Thailand1.
By Friday morning, 25 bodies had been recovered from the site, Sek Sokhom said, with six found that morning, some in their rooms and others on stairways1. More than 60 people were injured, and the death toll was expected to rise once rescuers could reach victims believed to be under debris or in locked rooms1. The Grand Diamond City casino complex has 500 employees and had 1,000 customers on Wednesday, according to a report from Soth Kimkolmony, a spokesperson for Cambodia's National Committee for Disaster Management1. It was unclear how many were present when the fire broke out and how many escaped1.
Thai and Cambodian rescue teams worked side by side searching the 17-story complex, pausing overnight at the dangerously damaged site1. Many of those inside, customers and staff, were from neighboring Thailand, which sent firetrucks and emergency workers1. Thailand's Sa Kaeo Provincial Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office counted 11 dead, all Thai, and 109 injured, including 57 in hospitals1. An accurate casualty toll has been hard to obtain because of chaotic rescue efforts and because many of those saved were rushed across the border for treatment in Thailand1.
An initial investigation found the fire may have been caused by New Year's holiday decorations that drew too much electricity, causing wires to overheat and burn, local authorities said1. Poipet city governor Keat Hul described the scene:
"Hotel and casino workers used fire extinguishers to stop the fire but to no avail. People were panicking and rushing about everywhere but mainly for the nearest exit."
He said he believed many deaths came from smoke inhalation and that some people died when they leapt from high stories to escape the flames1. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen made his first public comments on the tragedy on Friday, expressing condolences and saying the incident showed that all tall buildings in the country must have sufficient equipment to fight fires1.
Casinos are illegal in Thailand, and many Thais visit neighboring countries such as Cambodia to gamble1. Poipet has more than a dozen casinos1. The Grand Diamond City casino is popular with customers who make the four-hour drive from Bangkok1.
What it means for players
The fire occurred at a casino that draws much of its business from across the Thai border, where gambling is illegal1. For Thais who travel to Poipet casinos and other Cambodian venues, the incident highlights conditions inside large casino complexes, though no source reports any change to how those venues operate or are inspected. For expats and visitors weighing which country's law applies to them, gambling in Asia for expats and visitors sets out the resident versus visitor distinction. Nothing in the reporting indicates new restrictions on gambling in Cambodia or Thailand, and no source states whether the casino will reopen.
What happens next
Search efforts resumed Friday morning after being suspended overnight over fears part of the building could collapse and for lack of light2. Firefighters have not finished checking the Grand Diamond City complex room by room for an undetermined number of missing people2. Hun Sen said tall buildings in Cambodia must have sufficient firefighting equipment, but no source reports a specific inspection, deadline or enforcement measure1.
