Fire in Cambodian Casino caused by electrical malfunction: 26 confirmed dead

KATHMANDU, Dec. 31: Cambodian authorities have stated that the fire in the casino on Thursday night, was caused by an electrical malfunction. 26 people have been confirmed dead due to the huge fire, till Saturday.
The fire started at 11:30 pm on Thursday in Grand Diamond City Hotel Casino situated at Poipet City near the Thailand border.
Rescuers claimed that people were forced to jump from the ledges and windows of the tall Casino-Hotel building to escape from the fire as they could not be rescued in time. 
Kun Kim, vice chairman of the National Disaster Management Committee, said that the cause of the fire was an "electricity leak". He confirmed that 17 Thai citizens, one Malaysian, and one Nepalese died in the fire.
He said, "some people have been found dead due to burns, some due to lack of oxygen, and some due to smoke suffocation on the way out." He said that due to the complex layout of the hotel-casino and the lack of rescue equipment, it took a long time to put out the fire. "The team searched all parts of the compound," Kim said, adding that Cambodian emergency teams had ended their rescue efforts after nightfall on Friday.
Neung, a 42-year-old Thai casino worker who gave only his surname, said his father died in a hotel room after helping two women escape. He said, "He used a lot of energy to help them, but he died of suffocation due to smoke." "Now I am just waiting for his body," he told AFP.
Many of the injured were treated by Thai hospitals and doctors. The Thai citizens assisted Cambodian emergency teams in search and rescue operations. Thai authorities have informed that more than 50 people had been hospitalized on Friday and 13 people are in critical condition. Cambodian officials have said that they are discussing the prosecution of the hotel owners.