POIPET: As many as 10 people have died in a fire at a Cambodian hotel-casino on the border with Thailand, with photos showing groups desperately huddled on ledges as fierce flames surrounded them.
The blaze at the Grand Diamond City hotel-casino in Poipet broke out late on Wednesday night around 11.30pm local time, Cambodian police said.
A provisional police report said "about 10 people died and 30 people injured", adding that around 400 individuals were believed to be working at the venue.
Images showed the building consumed by flames, with firefighters struggling to contain the intense blaze and rescuers attempting to pluck people from a burning ledge.
Local media reported that foreign nationals were inside the casino at the time of the fire.
A Thai foreign ministry source said they were coordinating closely with local authorities, with the injured transferred to hospitals in Thailand's Sa Kaeo province.
"The authorities have been trying to control the fire including by sending in fire trucks from the Thai side," the source said.
A volunteer with Thai rescue group the Ruamkatanyu Foundation said the blaze started on the first floor but spread quickly along the carpets, leaping up through the multi-storey building.
As of 2pm yesterday, 82 people injured by the blaze had been sent to Sa Kaeo's hospitals, according to deputy governor Chanatip Khokmanee.
Of the injured, 44 are Thai nationals, 30 are Cambodian, and eight are Indonesian. One Thai victim died while receiving medical treatment, said Mr Chanatip. Some Thai nationals remain missing.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered authorities to aid Thai nationals affected by the blaze, said spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri. "The prime minister was concerned about the situation," Mr Anucha said.
The blaze follows two other fatal incidents at nightspots in neighbouring Thailand and Vietnam in 2022. In August, a fire engulfed a Thai nightclub killing 26 people and injuring scores more. A month later, a blaze broke out in a karaoke bar in southern Vietnam that killed 32 people.
Concerns have long been raised over the region's lax attitude to health and safety regulations, particularly in bars, nightclubs and entertainment venues.
A large fire erupted at a New Year's Eve party at Bangkok's Santika club in 2009, killing 67 people and injuring more than 200. The owner was jailed for three years over the blaze, which began when fireworks were set off as a band played on stage.