Factory death

A young woman working at a factory for processing wooden boards in Kampong Cham province’s Ampil commune died on Saturday when a pile of boards collapsed on her.

The 18-year-old woman, who had been working at the factory for less than two months, was standing near a two-metre-high stack of boards when the stack fell down and crushed her, Chea Pov, the factory’s owner, said yesterday.

Pov said that in many years of operation, his factory had never before seen such an accident, adding that the carelessness of the factory manager may have played a role in the incident.

“I have nothing to say besides condolence. I will do my best to help,” Pov said.

The victim’s father, Chhorn Ang, said yesterday that Pov had offered the family about $1,700 for the funeral and compensation and would contribute some additional money later.

Ampil commune chief Rath Kim Hay and commune police chief Muy Vutha yeseterday said they were not aware of the accident.