Power in Cambodian tourist hub cut off after poles collapse in rainstorm

The electricity in Cambodia's Siem Reap City, home of the Angkor world heritage site, has been cut off since Wednesday after some 38 poles collapsed in a heavy rainstorm, tourism and disaster control officials confirmed Friday.

"The electricity in the whole city has been cut off since April 22 due to the collapsing of electricity poles in a rainstorm," Chhoeuy Chhorn, deputy chief of the Siem Reap provincial tourism department, told Xinhua.

He said currently, hotels, guesthouses, restaurants, and big establishments have been using their own generators to light their businesses.

"I contacted a Siem Reap provincial electricity official on Thursday and he told me that it would take five days to reinstall the power line and reconnect the electricity," he said. "They are rushing to restore the electricity because the city is the kingdom 's most popular tourist hub and we cannot keep it in the dark for a long period."

The Angkor world heritage site received 2.35 million foreign tourists in 2014 and some 689,157 international visitors in the first quarter of 2015.

National Committee for Disaster Management spokesman Keo Vy confirmed that 38 poles in Siem Reap province collapsed during a heavy rainstorm on Wednesday evening.

"It was an incident," he said. "It is usual to see rainstorms during an annually changing period from the dry season to the rainy season."

According to the spokesman, rainstorms in some parts of the country on April 21 and 22 have left one person dead and 20 others injured. In addition, 264 rural houses were destroyed. Endi