A Chinese foreman overseeing preparations for the construction of the controversial Chinese-backed Lower Sesan II hydropower dam in Stung Treng province died on Saturday after being electrocuted, an official said Tuesday.
Duong Vuthy, deputy police chief of Phluk commune, said the 48-year-old foreman, whose name he could not recall, was likely electrocuted while attempting to connect wires to light the worksite on Saturday evening so his crew could work through the night.
“I think the incident was caused by his carelessness and lack of technical skills,” he said.
Mr. Vuthy said scotch tape, a knife and pieces of wood were found on or next to the foreman’s body.
Local residents and rights groups oppose the dam, claiming it will negatively impact the environment and threaten the livelihoods of fishing communities living downstream.
In 2012, a dam being built by a state-owned Chinese company in Pursat province partially collapsed, injuring at least four Cambodian workers.
The bodies of three other Cambodian workers at the site disappeared after the collapse and were never found.
