A rear-end collision involving a bus en route to Phnom Penh from Vietnam and a truck crane killed the bus driver and injured two passengers in Svay Rieng town, provincial authorities said on Monday.

Provincial traffic bureau deputy chief Som Sothy said 25 Vietnamese nationals were travelling on the bus when the truck crane in front attempted a sudden left turn before veering right, resulting in the accident, which occurred in Chek commune’s Svay village in Svay Rieng town, Svay Rieng province.

Svay Rieng provincial traffic bureau chief Ouch Saron said on Tuesday that authorities had detained the 28-year-old truck crane driver. The bus driver, a 42-year-old Vietnamese national, was critically injured and succumbed to his injuries after being admitted to the hospital, he said.

“The accident was caused by the truck crane driver. He was arrested and questioned at my office and we will send him to the provincial court after questioning,” he said.

The bus driver suffered serious injuries in his stomach, and his arms and legs were broken while two of the passengers were mildly injured.

Sothy said it took about 30 minutes for police to extract the driver from the bus with the help of good samaritans. The uninjured truck crane driver was arrested immediately.

Traffic police examined the crash and concluded that the accident was caused by careless driving by the truck crane driver. The front of the bus was damaged, while the truck crane’s rear was destroyed.

“Maybe the truck crane driver turned left to cross the road without seeing the bus behind and caused the accident,” he said.

According to a National Police report, at least five people were killed and 20 others were injured in road accidents nationwide on Monday. Two of the five who died were motorcyclists who did not wear safety helmets.