Three Children Drown in Reservoir in Kandal

Two siblings and a third child who went to play in a reservoir in Kandal province’s Mok Kampoul district drowned on Sunday afternoon, a police official said on Tuesday.

No one noticed when the 11-year-old girl, her 9-year-old brother and a 7-year-old girl went to play in the water about 500 meters from their village during lunchtime, said Lek Dara, police chief of Prek Dambang commune.

“The children were missing and the father was looking for them,” Mr. Dara said.

“He found their shoes and bicycle nearby the reservoir, so he went into the water to look for them, but he could not find them.”

It took about four hours to retrieve the bodies, he said.

Four years ago, a child drowned in the same body of water before it became a reservoir, he said.

About 200 to 300 people die annually in accidental drownings in Cambodia, and half of those are children, said Keo Vy, a spokesman for the National Committee for Disaster Management.

Most child deaths occur when parents are not watching their children, he said.

[email protected]

Related Stories

Latest News