Phonm Penh, Jan 5 (IANS): A total of 36 people were killed and 23 others rescued from the debris of a collapsed building in Cambodia, Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Sunday.

The search and rescue operation ended at 11.35 a.m., more than 43 hours after the seven-storey building collapsed on Friday afternoon in the coastal city of Kep, about 150 km south of Phnom Penh, reports Efe news.

In a press conference broadcast live, Hun Sen confirmed the casualty figures and said that the owners of the building "were in the hands of law enforcement".

He added that the provincial governor would retain his job since it was an accident.

The Cambodian leader reiterated that the families of those who were killed would receive about $50,000 in compensation, plus an additional amount towards funeral costs, while $10,000 would go to each of the injured victims. In the case of the last few rescues, each would receive $20,000, he added.

It had initially been estimated that between 30-40 workers had been inside the under-construction building at the time of the accident, however the final figure of those recovered came to 59.

The 23 survivors include 15 males and eight females, official figures showed.

Last 2019, 28 people were killed and 26 others injured in the collapse of another seven-storey under construction building in the coastal city of Sihanoukville.

In December, a temple under construction in Siem Reap province, home to the Angkor Wat temple complex, collapsed, killing three people.