Drunk at wheel kills two Finns, driver of tuk-tuk

The wreckage of a tuk-tuk is removed after a crash on Saturday killed three men.

The Phnom Penh municipal traffic police on Sunday sent a man to court after his Lexus SUV crashed into a tuk-tuk in the early hours of Saturday, killing its driver and two Finnish passengers in Daun Penh district’s Chey Chumneah commune.

Municipal traffic bureau chief Sem Sokunthea told The Post on Sunday that the Lexus SUV driver, Hel Vannak, 30, was a tour guide. The two Finnish passengers were identified as Arttu Johannes Hieta and Lasse Mikael Apajasalmi, both 33.

“The [Lexus SUV] driver was drunk. It was an accident but he still has to face the law,” he said.

Municipal court spokesman Ly Sophanna said on Sunday that he was not sure if Vannak, a resident in Mondulkiri province’s Sen Monorom town, had been charged by a prosecutor as he was occupied with work.

“I can’t provide any details now because I’m now on a assignment with colleagues,” he said.

According to a traffic police report, Vannak was driving on Sisowath Quay when he veered out of his lane and collided with the tuk-tuk head-on, killing the three men instantly before crashing into another parked motorbike.

Contact author: Kim Sarom

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