A bridge in Kampot province collapsed under the weight of an 8-ton truck just after midnight on Tuesday morning, revealing a load of illegally harvested wood.
As the bottom of the steel bridge buckled, the truck was left suspended precariously over the stream.
The driver, who was allegedly taking wood from Kompong Speu province’s Phnom Oral Wildlife Sanctuary in a covered Hyundai truck, escaped the scene in Chhuk district’s Taken commune, said provincial court prosecutor Khan Sophal.
Authorities are still searching for the driver to charge him for damage to the bridge and the stolen wood.
Three types of protected wood, including luxury-grade Thnong wood, were found in the truck, Mr. Sophal said.
He added that he was not able to confirm how much wood was being transported because some of the truck’s load had floated away.
“Our officials are collecting the wood from the water, and we are also repairing the bridge to let people cross,” Mr. Sophal said.
