The tragedy caused a fire at a casino on the Poipet side, killing many employees and Thai gamblers. Revealed at 2:00 a.m. on December 29, Colonel Rung Thongmon, Immigration Superintendent of Sa Kaeo Province Col. Pattanachai Pamornphiboon, Superintendent of Klong Luek Police Station, Aranyaprathet District, Sa Kaeo Province, was informed to coordinate assistance from Cambodian officials. in Poipet Banteay Meanchey province said that at about midnight a fire occurred at the casino. “Grand Diamond” on the Poipet side, the source of the fire occurred on the ground floor of the casino building. The fire spread throughout the building with many Thai employees and gamblers trapped inside. Cambodian firefighters could not control the situation. Urgent support of fire engines and rescue teams from Thailand
After receiving the report to Mr. Prinya Phothisat, the governor of Sa Kaeo province, ordered the local government rescue team to Aranyaprathet Rescue Foundation Sawang Thiangtham Foundation, Aranyaprathet Ruamkatanyu Foundation brought dozens of water trucks, cable cars and fire trucks together with rescuers to help extinguish the fire. There are Cambodian officials to facilitate.
The scene is the top luxury casino in Poipet named “Grand Diamond City Hotel and Casino” has a former national politician in Thailand as a majority partner. On the opposite side of Rong Kluea Market and Ban Khlong Luek Permanent Checkpoint, Aranyaprathet District, Sa Kaeo Province, about 200 meters from the Thai-Cambodian border. building A large cloud of black smoke filled the sky. The fire spread to the 17-storey hotel building behind it, and also burned the pedestrian overpass connecting the casino building to the 8-storey resort building, turning into a sea of flames blazing throughout the city.
Water sprayers tried to extinguish the raging fire. But it is with difficulty because it is a large tall building with 3 large buildings with thousands of rooms inside full of well-fueled decorative materials. Most of the employees and gamblers are Thai people trapped inside a lot. In the midst of panic, people fled to death in chaos. Some of the trapped in the room had to use sheets tied together to rappel down. Some climbed out of the window and fell down. The address of the room is not very high. Decided to jump and die down the rescue staff to stretch the fabric to support below. Many people choked to death in the room. Some of them ran away and were stuck on the rooftop. When the fire spread, they couldn’t withstand the heat and had to jump down. There were many deaths and injuries. Some choked on smoke and were roasted freshly on the rooftop fire. Someone took a clip of the horrific event and shared it on social media. The atmosphere was full of panic, with loud screams.
Reporters reported that Firefighters and rescue teams continuously mobilized water to extinguish the fire for several hours. but still no signs of being able to control the fire Fire engines from the Thai side must be constantly mobilized. While the rescue team helped transport the injured body back to the Thai side to deliver Aranyaprathet Hospital and Kasemrad Aranyaprathet Hospital Until the emergency room was filled with the injured, most of them choking on smoke. burned Some people have broken limbs from jumping from high places.
Until dawn, the flames that burned could be controlled in a limited range until about 11:00 a.m., the fire had subsided, taking a total of 10 hours. 17 storeys high, burned to the 10th floor after the fire, still there is a cloud of smoke spreading around the area. Rescue teams wear firefighters to inspect the burning building. By Mr. Somsak Palwat, Managing Director of Ruamkatanyu Foundation Bring more than 50 firefighters with equipment to support rescue missions at the scene. Found a depressing picture, with many dead, burned, trapped in the building. Both in the hotel room, the fire escape, the rooftop, including some people who jumped to their deaths next to the building.
Summary of the death toll found at the scene 21 unknown bodies. And died while being transported to the hospital on the Thai side, another body, named Mr. Thiti Lertsantikul, 24, a Grand Diamond casino employee, totaling 22 bodies, on the Cambodian side, 8 bodies have been identified as Thai women. all The body is at Wat Trat, Poipet, waiting to be sent back to Thailand, the rest of the 13 bodies are at Poipet Hospital and Sisophon Hospital, waiting to prove their identity.
At the meeting room on the 2nd floor, Ban Khlong Luek Border Checkpoint In the morning of the same day, Mr. Praphan Chanthaisri, Aranyaprathet customs checkpoint, Sa Kaeo Province, as the channel president Summon an urgent meeting of relevant agencies, including Aranyaprathet Customs House, Sa Kaeo Immigration, Khlong Luek Police Station, Aranyaprathet District Control unit of the 13th Ranger Regiment, Aranyaprathet Hospital Thai-Cambodian Border Liaison Office, Sa Kaeo Province and Aranyaprathet Municipality Set up a coordination center to help Thai people affected by the fire in Poipet, Cambodia. It is reported that at present, 22 bodies have been found dead, 53 injured, transported to hospitals on the Thai side and 8 people are missing, almost all of them are employees and gamblers. Thai person Thai and Cambodian rescue workers continue to mobilize search and rescue efforts for those missing in the fire-fighting areas.
Dr. Opas Karnkawinpong The permanent secretary of the Ministry of Public Health revealed that 32 injured were sent to Sa Kaeo Province for treatment, 13 red patients, 3 yellow patients and 16 green patients were taken to various hospitals as follows: Surasinghanat Camp Hospital, 6 red patients intubated Somdet Phra Yuparaj Hospital, Sa Kaeo 3 green patients, Aranyaprathet Hospital, 5 red patients and 2 yellow patients, Wattana Nakhon Hospital, 2 red patients, referring to Somdet Phra Yuparaj Hospital, Sa Kaeo and 2 green patients, Kok Sung Hospital, yellow patients 1 person and 8 green people and Kasemrad Hospital, Aranyaprathet, 3 green patients and 1 death, Thai people The team of medical personnel provides full medical care. Instruct all hospitals in Sa Kaeo Province to monitor the situation and prepare to receive patients/injured from such incidents. And have hospitals in nearby provinces prepare to provide support if requested. Ready to coordinate with the burn care unit of Rayong Hospital, Chonburi Hospital, Sappasit Prasong Hospital, Noppharat Ratchathani Hospital, Rajavithi Hospital, Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital, Ramathibodi Hospital, Chulalongkorn Hospital and Vajira Hospital. Reserve 16 more vacant beds if there are severely injured.
The reporter asked the witness, a Thai man who traveled to the Grand Diamond Casino, who said that before the incident was in a room on the 14th floor of the VIP building, around midnight he heard music from a concert next to the casino building. I couldn’t sleep so I went down to take a walk around the G floor or the ground floor of the casino building. It is a large hall with high ceilings. There are more than a hundred groups of Thai gamblers sitting at various tables. Spotted the spotlight behind the water bar. The security guard hurriedly brought a fire extinguisher to spray, but the fire did not extinguish, instead quickly rose up to the ceiling and spread throughout the casino room. In the midst of the panic of the gamblers, they rushed to escape into chaos. Shocked, he hurriedly ran away without looking at whether anyone was anything or not. but know that there are hundreds of Thai people in the casino room
Mrs. Kanchana Phatrachok, Director-General of the Department of Information and spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Referring to the fire at the Grand Diamond City Hotel and Casino in Poipet Cambodia that Mr. Cherdkiat Atthakorn, Ambassador in Phnom Penh, Cambodia The information reported that The Royal Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh and the Thailand team have accelerated coordination with the Provincial Governor of Sa Kaeo, the Thai-Cambodian Border Coordination Center. and Cambodian agencies involved all along At this level, Thai agencies located along the Thai-Cambodian border jointly set up a coordination center to receive victim information. to help facilitate Thai people who want to return to Thailand Most of them faced the problem of their passports or documents used for travel being burned down. will help expedite the issuance of a certificate of return travel and the process of forwarding documents to the coordination center to take further action