At least 16 were killed, and over twenty others got hurt after a nighttime bus crashed off a bridge into a river in central Cambodia on Thursday (Nov 20) morning, in one of the worst traffic disasters the country has seen this year. The bus with 37 people onboard was heading from Oddar Meanchey to Phnom Penh when it crashed into a canal in Kampong Thom just past 3 am. Disturbing visuals online show the badly damaged bus almost fully submerged in the canal water.
What happened?
According to Camboja News, just before the tragic crash, the bus in Siem Reap - famous for Angkor Wat and tourism- was picking up passengers before driving on through the night toward the city. A preliminary report from the police suggests that the driver, one of the two who were supposed to alternate the night route, might've dozed off while driving. Officials haven’t confirmed yet if he survived or not. Police mentioned everyone on board was from Cambodia.
Disturbing images posted by Interior Minister Sar Sokha on Facebook show the extent of the crash. They show the bus stuck in murky water while rescue crews brought out a crane to haul it up. Teams kept scanning the river late into Thursday evening. Earlier, the number of fatalities was believed to be 13, but the number was bumped up to 16 once more victims were found.
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Injured people were rushed to a local hospital in Kampong Thom, whereas relatives of those who died drove out to pick up remains moved by ambulance from where the accident happened.
