Two people died in separate drowning incidents in Kampong Speu and Kampong Cham provinces on Saturday.

In the Kampong Speu province case, 47-year-old farmer Kong Siem fell forward into the rapidly flowing Oral river after suffering a dizzy spell while fishing with his 13-year-old son, Siem Vanthy.

“According to Vanthy . . . [he] sat on the tail of the boat to row, while [his father] sat at the head of the boat to fish. And then he saw his father drop into the river with the fishing line,” Oral district police chief Buth Bunthoeun said.

He added that Vanthy had shouted for help but it was “too late”, as his father’s body had sunk to the bottom of river and was only found three hours later.

Meanwhile, in Kampong Cham province, a drunken man – identified as 66-year-old Chaon Thoeun – drowned while bathing in a canal in Koh Sotin district’s Kampong Reap commune.

“He was old and drunk. When he went to take a bath in the canal alone, he slipped and drowned because no one was around to help,” said district deputy police chief Lor Seang Huth.