APPALLING

Cambodia Casino Fire Death Toll Hits 27 as More Bodies Found

More than 20 others are still missing.

Rescue teams found more bodies Friday while searching through the burnt-out rooms of a casino-hotel in Cambodia which was destroyed in a devastating fire early Thursday. At least 27 people are now confirmed dead in the disaster at the Grand Diamond City venue in Poipet on the Thai border, with another 20 people still missing. Around 400 staff and guests were inside the building when the blaze broke out. While a cause is yet to be determined, investigators suspect an electrical short circuit may be to blame. One survivor reported seeing flames erupt after a light fixture threw out sparks. “Then it started getting chaotic. After the fire hit the ceiling, I don’t think it was OK,” Piyapol Sukkaew told Thai broadcaster Channel 7. “It had gone on for half an hour and the fire trucks hadn’t arrived. After just five minutes, there was smoke everywhere.”