A 9-year-old boy had his arm severed by a brick-making machine at the factory where his parents worked and died from excessive blood loss at the Battambang provincial referral hospital on Sunday evening, officials said.
Rum Ra had been playing at the Ta Prohm brick factory’s compound in Mong Russei district’s Prey Svay commune—where he lived with his parents and three younger siblings—when the accident occurred, according to commune councilor Sok Sokhum.
Commune police chief Lor Tet said the owner of the factory had banned children from the working area.
“But at one point [Rum Ra] went inside and played near the machine without his parents noticing—until he got his arm stuck in the machine,” Mr. Tet said.
The victim’s mother, Mao Mom, 34, and stepfather, Khou Mao, 36, had taken full responsibility for their son’s death, he said.
“The parents themselves admitted that it was their fault for not being able to watch over their child,” Mr. Tet said.
“Therefore, no action was taken against the factory.”
