Cambodia casino fire: more bodies recovered, death toll reaches 25

Rescuers scoured the charred ruins of a Cambodian hotel and casino complex Friday as the death toll from a fire that forced people to jump from windows rose to 25.

Hundreds of people are believed to have been inside the Grand Diamond City venue, located in the town of Poipet within sight of the Thai border, when the blaze broke out late Wednesday night.

"The death toll now is around 25," said Sek Sokhom, director of the information department for the province of Banteay Meanchey, adding that some of the bodies recovered were found in stairways.

Photos and video from the scene showed people huddling on windowsills to escape the flames, with one rescuer telling AFP he saw people desperately jumping from the roof as the blaze inched closer.

Earlier, a Cambodian police officer told AFP they believed "there are many more bodies still trapped inside" as rescuers began entering the gutted complex.

Hundreds of Cambodian soldiers and police officers, along with volunteers from Thailand, are taking part in the search.

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Smoke was still occasionally rising from the complex Friday as rescuers prepared to enter the buildings at around 7 am, with fire trucks on standby at the scene.

Jakkapong Ruengdech, a team leader with Thai rescue group the Poh Teck Tung Foundation, told AFP they needed to establish if there was still intense smoke or fire inside.

Another rescuer from the group, who asked not to be named, described the building as "unstable" and said the search would have to proceed cautiously.