{"id":231,"date":"2019-06-25T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-06-25T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gbc.ng\/at-least-24-dead-after-cambodian-resort-under-construction-collapses\/"},"modified":"2019-06-25T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2019-06-25T00:00:00","slug":"at-least-24-dead-after-cambodian-resort-under-construction-collapses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gbc.ng\/index.php\/at-least-24-dead-after-cambodian-resort-under-construction-collapses\/","title":{"rendered":"AT LEAST 24 DEAD AFTER CAMBODIAN RESORT UNDER CONSTRUCTION COLLAPSES"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Cambodian town of\u00a0Sihanoukville<\/strong>\u00a0has quickly become a casino haven, with new venues popping up virtually on a daily basis as operators try to grab a piece of the gambling pie. The rush to see\u00a0new gambling houses<\/strong>\u00a0and their supporting infrastructure has resulted in the deaths of at least 24 people after a resort under construction suddenly collapsed. All because the construction company decided to cut corners in an effort to have the building completed as quickly as possible.<\/p>\n

According to the\u00a0New York Times<\/strong>, 24 construction workers were already confirmed dead and another 24 are missing. The seven-story building, which was being built by a Chinese construction company, suddenly collapsed early Saturday morning when many construction workers were still asleep \u2013 inside the building. According to one survivor, \u201cA moment before the building collapsed it was vibrating and then it was falling down. But it was too quick to escape.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the construction supervisors, who was in charge of a group of 15 who were working on bathroom tiles and walls, confirmed that 12 of his group were still missing and added that the material used in the construction was subpar. There have been multiple reports of building materials suddenly becoming dislodged and falling since the project began last fall.<\/p>\n

The incident has also resulted in casualties in the political scene. The governor of the Sihanouk Province, Yun Min, submitted his resignation and the deputy director of the National Committee of Disaster Management, Nhim Vanda, was fired by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen. Yun Min had reportedly received warnings about problems at the construction site, but didn\u2019t do enough to stop the project. He is quoted as having said, \u201cWe have prohibited construction very often. Some listen, but some don\u2019t and stealthily continue.\u201d It\u2019s hard to imagine how someone can \u201cstealthily\u201d build a seven-story structure in the center of a bustling city.<\/p>\n

The plight of Sihanoukville is grim. Not only has it become inundated with casinos, most of which are unsafe, but the city isn\u2019t even reaping the benefits. The local industry is designed to attract Chinese gamblers, since locals can\u2019t gamble, and the majority of the employees found in the existing venues \u2013 as well as much of the construction space \u2013 is from China in order to be able to communicate in Chinese. Virtually none of the revenue generated makes its way back into the town or the Cambodian<\/p>\n

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