The death toll in the collapse of a seven-story building, which was under-construction, in southwestern Cambodia's Preah Sihanouk province has risen to 17, according to a victims' name list released by the rescue team on Sunday.

The name list said that 17 people were found dead under the pile of debris and 24 others were injured.

In a Facebook post late on Saturday, Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen expressed his condolences to the bereaved families and the injured people, and announced that the government would donate 10,000 U.S. dollars to each family of the dead and 1,250 U.S. dollars to each injured person.

Preah Sihanouk Provincial Governor Yun Min told Xinhua that it was believed that between 40 and 50 construction workers were sleeping in the building when it collapsed.

Seng Loth, a spokesman for the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning, and Construction, said the building was constructed without permission.

"It was an unlicensed project, and the provincial authorities had warned the developer twice, but they ignored the warnings," he told Xinhua.

He said competent authorities are investigating the cause of the collapse.

The accident happened early on Saturday in commune 4 in Sihanoukville, the Preah Sihanouk Province's Administration said in a statement.