Officials said they would inspect the Golden Crown Casino in Poipet City after a large section of ceiling collapsed onto a gaming floor on Sunday night.
Um Reatrey, a deputy Banteay Meanchey provincial governor, said yesterday that the collapse occurred at about 8 p.m. while construction work was being done on the complex, owned by Kok An, a ruling party senator and casino magnate.
However, Mr. Reatrey refuted local media reports that said the collapse had injured five workers.
“The ceiling of the casino broke and no guests or employees were killed or injured in the incident,” he said. “We do not know the exact reasons why it collapsed…. We will go inspect the quality of the building soon.”
Chea Da, military police commander in Poipet City, said casino security guards told his officers that poor construction was at fault.
Photographs of the scene published online by the Koh Santepheap newspaper show a tangle of metal bars, boards and electrical wires covering poker tables on the casino floor.
Representatives of the casino could not be reached for comment.
