Eight people died and nine others were injured when a 20-ton truck collided head on with a minibus at high speed in Kampot province on Sunday afternoon, police said Monday.
The accident occurred shortly before 5 p.m. on a curved stretch of National Road 3 in Toek Chhou district’s Boeng Touk commune, when the truck, which was not carrying any cargo, crossed into the oncoming lane, said provincial traffic police chief Nop Sareth.
Mr. Sareth said the minibus, which was carrying 16 passengers—mostly construction workers—from Preah Sihanouk province to Kampot, had been driving behind a Toyota Camry, which narrowly avoided the oncoming truck.
The minibus did not move out of the way in time, and five of its occupants, including the driver, died instantly, Mr. Sareth said.
“The main reasons for this accident were the curved road, high speed, some rain and a lack of caution,” he said, adding that three other passengers died at the hospital on Sunday and Monday.
“In the blink of an eye, eight people are dead,” he said.
Mr. Sareth said the driver of the truck fled the scene and remains at large. “Police are working on this case and will find the perpetrator,” he said.
Deputy provincial police chief Im Chhoun blamed the drivers of both the truck and minibus for the deadly crash, as both individuals had been speeding at the time.
“If they were not traveling at high speeds, there would not have been a serious accident like this,” he said.
