A 73-year-old man died as he was burning grass to clear a mango field at Prek Taroth village, Kampong Braing commune, in Pea Reang district, Prey Veng province on Tuesday.

Kampong Braing commune police chief Pov Dany told The Post on Wednesday that the victim, Chan Oeurn, is a farmer who lived in the commune.

Dany said according to Oeurn’s wife, Pheng Meun, 68, her husband had ridden a bicycle to his mango farm about 2km from their house to pump water and burn the grass. However, he was found burned in the fire.

“The evaluation report of the body at the site of the incident revealed that Oeurn might have fainted from smoke inhalation and died in the fire. Authorities also found a half-burnt shoe and half-burnt rake handle.

“The victim was totally burnt. Near the body, there were pieces of garment, grass and other weeds which were not completely burnt,” said Dany.

On Wednesday, the victim’s eldest son Oeurn Chat, 48, told The Post that his father normally went to the farm in the morning, but on the day of the incident, he rode to the farm again after lunch. He told his mother that he would burn the grass he cleared in the morning.

“At 3:00 pm, I bought some food for my parents and visited them at their house but I did not meet my father. My mother said he went to the farm in the village, so I rode a motorbike to find him. But I found his body instead,” Chat said.