The dead and 100 injured by the fire in a casino hotel in Cambodia increase to 20

The fire started as a result of an electrical surge, according to Cambodian authorities.

At least 20 people have lost their lives and another 100 have been injured as a result of the intense fire that broke out in a casino hotel located in the city of Poipet, in the northwest of Cambodia.

This was reported in a statement by the Cambodian Information Department, detailing that the victims were mostly Thai citizens. Likewise, he has reported that the country's search and rescue operations team continues the search for possible survivors as well as more deaths in the so-called Grand Diamond City Hotel and Casino.

The authorities have affirmed that the fire occurred as a result of an overload in the electrical circuits, which could have been due to the installation of a multitude of lights for the Christmas and New Year festivities, according to the 'Khmer Times'.

According to witnesses, as a result of the explosion some people threw themselves into the void. As a consequence, many of them died or were seriously injured. Meanwhile, another group of people climbed to the roof of the building, managing to be evacuated with the help of helicopters from the emergency services.

On the other hand, a group of employees and customers would also have had difficulty getting to safety, since the fire spread rapidly from the floors below, blocking the exit, reports 'Kohsant Epheah Daily'.

"Continuous effort has been spent over many hours by our brave officers and their Thai counterparts to bring this horrendous hell under control," Poipet Police Chief Prum Piseth told the Cambodian newspaper The Phnom Penh Post.

"This has been the largest fire that the province, or even the entire kingdom, has ever experienced, as far as I know, with almost a hundred victims so far," between dead and injured," the agent said.

The deputy prime minister and head of the Cambodian Interior portfolio, Samdech Krala Hom Sar, as well as the deputy prime minister Ke Kim Yam, have traveled to the scene of the events.