A 21-year-old worker was killed after his arm was caught in a rubber-processing machine in Ratanakkiri’s Pate commune, in O’Yadav district, on Wednesday.

According to O’Yadav district deputy police chief Ngoy Don, the left arm of the victim – identified as Von Va – was caught in the machine at the rubber company he worked at, Mang Yang Khe, as he was feeding rubber through it to be processed on Wednesday evening.

“The accident was due to his own negligence while he was inserting the rubber into the machine, resulting in a serious injury on his left arm that led to his death,” he said, adding that workers nearby could not help Va in time as the machine was “moving very quickly”.

“The company will give $500 to his family for his funeral … It is very pitiable,” Don said, appealing for the public’s help in identifying any relatives of Va, who was believed to be an orphan.

According to a post dated Wednesday on the National Social Security Fund’s (NSSF) Facebook page, NSSF officials who inspected the site confirmed Va’s death was accidental and that the company was not at fault.

Officials have since sent his body to his home.

NSSF spokesman Cheav Bunrith declined to comment yesterday, and contact details for the company could not be obtained.