At least 16 dead, 73 injured from hotel-casino fire in NW Cambodia -- police report

At least 16 people were killed in a massive fire that engulfed a hotel-casino in northwest Cambodia's Banteay Meanchey province, according to a provincial police report released on Thursday evening.

"According to a preliminary report, about 16 people were pronounced dead, 23 got seriously injured and 50 sustained minor injuries in the blaze," the report said.

The report said more than 360 emergency personnel, led by Banteay Meanchey Provincial Police Chief Major General Sithi Loh, had joined the operation, using 11 firetrucks to fight the fire.

Neighbouring Thailand had also sent their firefighters and firetrucks to help put out the blaze, it added.

"So far, the Cambodian and Thai rescuers are still searching for the remaining victims," the report said.

The blaze broke out at the Grand Diamond City hotel and casino in Poipet City near the Thai border on Wednesday midnight, the Fire Prevention and Rescue Police Department said, adding that the cause of the blaze remains under investigation.

Footage posted on the Facebook page of the Fire Prevention and Rescue Police Department showed some people jumping down to escape the fire as some others were trapped on higher floors.

Soth Kimkolmony, the spokesman for the National Committee for Disaster Management, told Xinhua that the identities of the victims are not available yet.

He added that the hotel-casino has some 500 employees and about 1,000 customers.