Siem Reap

 

A traffic accident between a private tourist van and a truck left six people dead and 10 injured – nine of them seriously – in Siem Reap’s Bakong district yesterday, police said.

Deputy district police chief Kosh Chantha said the van was travelling straight along National Road 6A when it was hit on the side by a truck travelling in the opposite direction that swerved to avoid a cow on the road. “The truck driver could not control the situation when he saw a cow across the road, and he suddenly  swerved his truck and crashed into a car coming from the opposite direction,” he added.

Five people died immediately on the scene – including the driver of the tourist van – while another died in hospital.

The truck driver fled the scene after the accident and police are looking for him.

Ten others were injured – including three truck passengers – and have been sent to the hospital for treatment. Police said the van was carrying 12 Cambodian tourists and was likely headed toward the capital from Siem Reap.

Both vehicles had been impounded pending investigation, police said.

“This tragic road accident is the first in the district’s Kandek commune that killed so many people,” Chantha said.