Three people were killed and another was seriously injured in Battambang province’s Sangke district Thursday after a truck veered off the road to avoid an oncoming car and struck a group of people, police said.
District traffic police chief Deng Savong said the pedestrians were waiting to cross National Road 5 to attend a wedding party when the car moved into the oncoming lane to avoid the wedding tent, forcing the truck to veer onto the roadside.
“Suddenly, the truck driver and a car traveling in the opposite direction…avoided a crash, but [the truck] crashed into the crowd, leaving three people dead instantly and another critically injured,” Mr. Savong said. Provincial traffic police chief Sath Kimsann said the driver escaped but that officers seized his vehicle and were searching for the owner.
“The truck driver traveled ahead about 5 or 6 km, then stopped the truck and escaped, because he knew our traffic police were chasing him to block the route,” he said.
