27 Thais killed in Poipet casino fire ready for retrieval
The bodies of 27 Thai nationals killed in the Poipet casino fire have been released by Cambodian authorities to be transported back to Thailand.
Chotinrin Kerdsom, the Interior Ministry’s deputy permanent secretary, said on Friday that the ministry and Sa Kaew provincial authorities have set up a help centre at the Aranyaprathet district office to coordinate the transportation. The centre will also contact the relatives to confirm the identities and collect the bodies for funeral services.
The Thai-owned Grand Diamond City Hotel and Casino on the Cambodian side of the Ban Klong Luk checkpoint in Aranyaprathet district caught fire at around 11pm on Wednesday.
Many Thai employees and customers are believed to have been trapped inside the casino when the fire broke out.
On Friday afternoon, 10 bodies were delivered to the Aranyaprathet district office and are being stored in cold storage units provided by the Ruamkatanyu Foundation.
Once identified, the bodies will be released to their family members for funeral rites.
Chotinrin believes the other 17 bodies, currently kept at Wat Trad temple in Poipet, will be transported to Thailand today.
Hunt for victims continued on Saturday as rescue workers slowly made their way through the 20-storey hotel, which is now tilting due to fire damage, making it difficult to access the keycard-controlled rooms.
Officials believe there are still many guests trapped in these rooms, but firefighters need to be careful when breaking down the doors as it may bring down the building.
