An American woman died and three other foreigners were hospitalised last weekend following a drug- and alcohol-related incident, local authorities said.

Phnom Penh Deputy Police Chief Pol Pithey said the woman’s death was not caused by drug use, but was the result of her drinking “different types of wine and beers”. Another man who was hospitalised following the incident, he said, had imbibed illicit drugs.

“He used drugs and overdosed, and that caused him to be poisoned,” Pol Pithey said, though he did not say which drugs were involved.

Police said the four foreigners, staff at the English-language Cambodia Daily newspaper, were found at their Phnom Penh home on Saturday morning.

In a statement issued yesterday, Cambodia Daily publisher Bernard Krisher said the deceased woman was “a talented reporter and writer who produced some outstanding articles for our newspaper”.

“We mourn her departure and miss her,” Krisher said. The causes of the woman’s death and the others’ hospitalisations, Krisher added, “have not been determined”.

“We are unable to provide any further information or comment while awaiting the result of a police investigation,” he said.