Three men burned to death and a fourth was seriously injured after a head-on collision between two vehicles resulted in one bursting into flames late on Monday night in Kampong Thom province.
Stoung district deputy police chief Tan Chheng Loeun said the accident was caused by a drunk driver swerving into a van transporting vegetables from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. According to Loeun, the van overturned and the car burst into flames. The drunk driver and two of his companions burned to death, while a fourth was saved from the blaze by being thrown from the car during the collision.
The survivor, who is in hospital with a head injury and a broken arm, admitted that the driver had been drinking that night. “According to the injured victim, they left the drink shop and aimed to drink at another place [prior to the accident],” Loeun said.
The passengers in the van fled the scene on foot. Loeun said he didn’t know how many people were in the vehicle, but he did find blood stains inside.
Meanwhile, according to Run Roth Veasna, director of the traffic department at the Ministry of Interior, officials are preparing to deal with an annual spike in traffic accidents during the ongoing Pchum Ben holiday.
In 2015, 34 people died in 74 accidents in just three days during the holiday. Veasna said that authorities hope to reduce the amount accidents during this year’s festival
