A garment worker was killed and at least 26 others were injured in Kompong Speu province Tuesday morning when a van transporting them to work collided with a cargo truck, officials said.
Deputy provincial police chief Miech Samoeun said the crash occurred when the driver of the truck, which was empty, attempted to overtake another vehicle on National Road 4 in Chbar Mon City district’s Rakar Thom commune and hit the van, which had been traveling in the opposite direction.
“The right side of the van was hit by the truck and the one who died was sitting in that part [of the vehicle],” Mr. Samoeun said, adding that one victim died at the scene, while the survivors—including the van’s driver—were receiving medical treatment at nearby hospitals.
“One died, four have serious injuries and 22 have minor injuries,” he said.
“After the truck hit the van, the [truck] driver ran away and left his vehicle in the middle of the road,” he added.
Thy Chhay, military police commander in Chbar Mon, identified the deceased worker as Chea Vanny.
“Chea Vanny, who was 20, died because she was hit in the head, while the other four people [who were seriously hurt] also injured their heads. The other workers were injured in the arms and legs,” he said.
Tuesday’s crash follows at least two recent fatal accidents involving garment workers that garnered international attention and prompted increased government scrutiny of transportation conditions for the country’s labor force.
Nineteen garment workers were killed in Svay Rieng province in May when a van they were traveling in collided with a tour bus bound for Vietnam.
In July, a worker was killed in a crash involving an overloaded dump truck in Phnom Penh’s Pur Senchey district.
