Authorities are now investigating who should be held liable for the fire that destroyed the Grand Diamond City Hotel and Casino in Poipet, which left 27 people dead overall after 26 people died in the initial blaze and another died later in the hospital.
The fire at the Poipet-Aranyaprathet border crossing at the Thai-Cambodian border in Banteay Meanchey province is thought to have harmed over 100 persons. Rescuers have ceased looking for bodies, according to Banteay Meachey Governor Oum Reatrey, who stated this yesterday.
We are investigating right now to determine who needs to be held accountable, he added. Reatrey reported that the 17-story complex’s fire, which broke out at 11.30 p.m. on December 28, took 39 hours to extinguish.
He claimed that four of the complex’s buildings had been destroyed and that the other buildings’ structures were being looked at. Reatrey reported that 1,009 Cambodians, 221 Thai rescuers, 23 firefighting trucks, 115 ambulances, and helicopters were all utilized in the fire mission.
When the fire started, there were approximately 500 employees working there and 1,000 guests, according to Reatrey.
First vice-president of the Cambodian National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM), Kun Kim, stated that some victims died from smoke inhalation while others were burned to death.
He claimed that some of the dead were discovered in doorways and others in locked spaces.
“Of the 26 people that died, 17 were confirmed to be Thai citizens, including seven women. Among the fatalities are a Malaysian, a Nepalese, and a person who may have been a Chinese national.
“Seven bodies have eluded identification. According to Kim, the 27th victim passed away in a hospital in Aranyaprathet.
Kim claims that 57 individuals, including 46 Thai citizens, were taken by ambulance to hospitals in Thailand while the remainder received medical care in the province of Banteay Meanchey.
Kim expressed his appreciation for the rescuers and authorities in the Sa Kaeo province who were the first to respond to the appeal for assistance.
“NCDM will suggest that Thailand and the US enter into a memorandum of agreement for handling fire over the border. I appreciate how the Sa Kaeo province government in Thailand made it easier for firefighters to cross the border, said Kim.
Over a hundred individuals were hurt in the fire on Saturday, of whom 27, according to a news report citing Chanathip Khokmanee, the deputy governor of Sa Kaeo, have been admitted to hospitals.
The bodies of the victims are being kept at police morgues for their families to pick them up, according to Lieutenant General Muong Sothea, deputy chief of the National Police.
Now, according to Lt. Gen. Sothea, “we are trying to find the victim’s next of kin so they may come and receive their family from Cambodian authorities.”
“Seven bodies were burned so badly that we were unable to identify them. To determine their identities, we have however collected DNA samples,” he continued.
Keat Houl, the governor of Poipet City, claimed that the sophisticated power usage that had overwhelmed the electrical wiring was to blame for the fire.
He claimed that the complex’s extensive use of electricity was caused by the holiday illumination.
The intricate electric wiring may have been overburdened by Christmas and New Year’s lighting, he claimed.
