At least 19 people were killed and 12 others injured in road accidents on April 11 across the country. The figures brought the death toll in the 11 days of April to 78, with 125 injuries, according to data seen by The Post on the afternoon of April 11.
In Takeo province, police chief Chheang Phannara told The Post that several people were killed and some had been rushed to hospital after a chicken truck and a rice truck collided at 4am in Chrey village of Traing district’s Chi Khma commune.
“This accident was caused by the reckless chicken truck driver who driving fast while he was fatigued. He veered across the centreline had a head-on collision with the rice truck, which was travelling in the other direction. This needless accident caused several fatalities on the eve of a national holiday,” he said.
He added that after the accident, police officers towed the two trucks to the district police station, pending a legal solution.
According to an official report, traffic police righted the overturned rice truck and rescued the occupants. Three were already deceased, while two were rushed to hospital.
“One of the two, named Thav Sreylen, 23, was a passenger on the rice truck. She died of blood loss even as the doctors of the Takeo provincial referral hospital were rushing her to a hospital in Phnom Penh.
Vorn Rotha, 38, who claimed to be a relative of Sreylen, told The Post that he was waiting to receive a detailed report from the police, before filing a complaint demanding civil compensation.
He added that he was not present at the scene, but the preliminary report made it clear that the accident was caused by the reckless driving of the chicken truck driver. He had caused the deadly collision.
“It is true that the chicken truck was responsible for this terrible accident. It is smaller than our rice truck, and the driver and his passengers were killed. Unfortunately, his poor judgement behind the wheel is the reason for those losses. I believe that his family or the owner of the chicken truck must pay us civil compensation,” he said.
In Kampong Speu province on April 11, deputy police chief in charge of road traffic Tab Lon told The Post that two victims were killed when an unmarked car hit a motorcycle on National Road 4 in Maha Saing commune Anlong Thleung village of Phnom Sruoch district.
