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Fire engulfs squatter camp near Phnom Penh

A sprawling ethnic Vietnamese squatter community near the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh has burned to the ground during the second fire in two days.

More than 5,000 people were left homeless by the blaze along the Bassac River in the southern part of the Cambodian capital.

No deaths have been reported so far, though police say it's too early to know if anyone has been killed.

A total of 9,000 people have been burned out of their homes this week, and authorities have announced plans to relocate them so that the devastated slum area can be turned into a riverfront park.

Chaos engulfed the neighbourhood as the narrow dirt roads were too narrow for emergency trucks to penetrate so the fire blazed out of control until it ran out of fuel.

Residents scurried back and forth trying to salvage as many personal belongings as possible before the flames reached their houses. .

28/11/01 13:13:13 | ABC Radio Australia News

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