More than 50 people were sent to the Pailin provincial referral hospital after falling ill as a result of drinking contaminated water in Sala Krao district on Monday, officials said Tuesday.
District police chief Nheuk Thol said that 55 workers at the Mao Mina cassava warehouse in Stung Trang commune became sick after drinking water from a pond near the storage facility.
“We concluded that the poisoning is probably caused by the pond’s water because they were feeling sick after using the water from the pond,” Mr. Thol said.
Provincial health director Seng Rorn said the pond contained chemical runoff from surrounding cassava fields, which are treated with insecticides.
“I and my officials visited the site and found the place was not environmentally sound and those people used unsanitary water,” he said.
Mr. Rorn said most of the patients reported headaches and vomiting before losing consciousness, but recovered after receiving medical treatment.
Representatives for Mao Mina could not be reached.
