The driver of a private ambulance with no license plates or identifying emblems hit and killed three people in Phnom Penh’s Pur Senchey district on Saturday night before fleeing the scene, police said Sunday.
Sem Kunthea, a deputy chief of the municipal traffic police, said the ambulance hit a family of four that had been traveling on two motorbikes at about 8:40 p.m. on Saturday near Phnom Penh International Airport.
The father, 40, was killed at the scene and his wife, 30, succumbed to her injuries at Calmette Hospital, Mr. Kunthea said, adding that he did not know the names of the victims. He said the couple’s 11-year-old son died after being rushed to one of the Kantha Bopha Children’s Hospitals in Phnom Penh, while their 12-year-old daughter survived the crash and was receiving treatment at Calmette.
Mr. Kunthea said police were searching for the driver of the ambulance.
Asked about possible reasons for the crash, he said, “We cannot make an assumption about whether the driver was drunk or not because he ran away” and declined to discuss the case further.
Tin Vansy, another deputy municipal traffic police chief, said it was unclear where the driver had been going when the accident occurred.
“We don’t know who the car was going to rescue or where it was going or if the driver was driving too fast because the driver could not be stopped and he fled,” he said.
Mr. Vansy said traffic police impounded the ambulance but had not yet looked inside.
“Now the car is still locked and we will create a joint committee to work together on the investigation and open the door tomorrow,” he said, adding that documents inside the ambulance could lead police to its owner.
“Basically, we are investigating the case to find out which clinic owns the vehicle,” he said.
