A man was decapitated on Saturday when an oxygen canister he was unloading from a lorry exploded at a hospital in Preah Sihanouk province’s Tomnup Roloak commune in Stung Hav district.

Commune police chief Bo Nam on Sunday said the deceased hailed from Kampot province and had been residing in Tomnup Roloak commune.

The 39-year-old and another man had been delivering 50kg tanks of oxygen on Saturday. A canister was dropped while being unloaded and exploded as the victim brought it close to his body to prevent it hitting the ground heavily, Nam said.

The man’s head was found around 100m from his body, which had been thrown 10m from where the canister exploded.

The other man did not sustain injuries in the incident, Nam added.

“I spoke to a specialist regarding the case, who said there had been no instances of such canisters exploding before and they were not considered dangerous. If there was a risk of them exploding, they would not be used in hospitals,” Nam said.

Nam said the deceased’s family had travelled down from Kampot province, with his mother requesting he be cremated at Tomnup Roloak commune’s Por Meanchey pagoda. His ashes were to be taken home for the funeral, he said.

The owner of the oxygen canister facility had contributed to funeral costs by way of compensation, he added.