PHNOM PENH, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Death toll in the collapse of a six-story building in southwest Cambodia's Kep province on Friday has risen to 22, a provincial spokesman said on Sunday.
"By 8:10 a.m. (local time) on Sunday, 22 people were confirmed dead, and 23 others were injured in the building collapse," Kep Provincial Information Department director and spokesman Ros Udong told Xinhua.
He said all of the victims were Cambodian construction workers and their family members.
"The rescue operation is still going on, and is expected to be completed at noon today," he added.
Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen, who has led the rescue team to search for the people trapped under the collapsed building, said the building came down at around 4:30 p.m. (local time) on Friday in Kep city when workers were pouring concrete to build the seventh floor.
More than 1,000 rescuers had taken part in the rescue operation, and 12 excavators, four crane trucks, 10 ambulances, five firetrucks, and more than 10 dumper trucks had been used to remove the debris of the collapsed building.
An official at the Kep Provincial Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction said the building's owner had applied for a license to construct a five-story building, but he illegally built it up to seven floors.
Located about 160 km southwest of capital Phnom Penh, the coastal province of Kep is an emerging tourist destination, and the province is known for its seafood and tropical islands.
