A massive fire at a Cambodian hotel casino has injured more than 60 people and killed at least 19.
Neighbouring Thailand sent fire services to help fight the fire in the bustling border region.
Some victims were believed to still be under debris or in locked rooms that rescue teams could not access, and the death toll was expected to rise, said Sek Sokhom, head of Banteay Meanchey province’s information department.
Videos posted on social media showed people apparently jumping from windows after they were trapped by the fire at the Grand Diamond City Casino and Hotel in the border town of Poipet.
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In a video posted by Cambodia’s firefighting agency, onlookers could be heard shouting pleas to rescue people trapped on the roof of the hotel complex, which is more than a dozen storeys tall at its highest point.
Thailand’s public broadcaster reported dozens of Thais were trapped inside.
The fire, which started at about midnight on Wednesday, was put out over 12 hours later on Thursday.
Sithi Loh, police chief in Banteay Meanchey province, said 360 emergency personnel and 11 fire appliances were sent to the scene and rescue teams were looking for victims.
He said the cause of the fire was not known. The casino employed about 400 people.
Thai PBS reported that 50 Thais, both staff and customers, had been trapped inside the complex.
Thai and Cambodian rescue teams worked side by side in Thursday’s search of the premises, but paused efforts at the dangerously damaged site as night fell.
Poipet in western Cambodia is opposite the more affluent Thai city of Aranyaprathet, and there is busy cross-border trade and tourism.
Thai PBS cited reports that the Aranyaprathet Hospital’s emergency ward was full and other victims had to be sent to other hospitals.
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