Four members of a single family were killed while eight more were injured in a traffic accident yesterday morning on National Road 56 in Banteay Meanchey’s Thma Puok district, according to local authorities.

“All the victims are relatives. They set off from Preah Vihear province to join the relatives’ wedding in Malay District,” Chhouth Tha, Thma Puok district police chief said yesterday.

According to Tha, Sang Ouk, 45; his 4-year-old son Sang Rithisak; and his niece Sok Sal, 14, died at the scene of the crash while his nephew Panha Rorng, 22, died en-route to the Thma Puok District Referral Hospital.

Rithisak’s brother San Phean, 41, who was driving, and seven other nieces and nephews sustained light to severe injuries and are being treated at two district hospitals.

Tha added that after the incident, the bodies were kept for relatives to take home for funeral rites and that the car was impounded at the Thma Puok district police station.

The accident is suspected to have been caused by a flat tire, Tha said, which caused the vehicle to veer into a barrel-roll, turning over three to four times.