FOUR ethnic Brov villagers from Ratanakkiri province’s Veun Sai district died on Saturday from acute diarrhoea after drinking unclean water during a forest excursion, and another 10 villagers were being treated at Koh Pong commune health centre.

Chum Ngel, district governor, said Monday that the four deceased Brov villagers, who were all from the same family, had gone into the forest to look for fruit to sell. “They drank dirty water when they went into the forest,” he said.

He said that the mother Lam Ven, 39, daughter Puth Chanthou, 17, son Puth Chenda, 12, and brother-in-law Poy Romdos, 35, did not reach the health centre in time for treatment because they lived in a “remote” village.

Chum Ngel said that on Sunday he had asked authorities in Veun Sai to educate villagers about proper hygiene and advise them to seek immediate treatment in the event of future cases.

“Indigenous villagers do not like to come to the health centre,” he said. “They use traditional medicines, which we are concerned may spread the disease to other villagers.”