At least two men died and five were seriously injured after an overloaded truck carrying bags of cement yesterday lost its front wheel, overturned and crashed into the side of a road in Battambang’s Phnom Proek district.

Kong Moharun, district traffic police chief, said two workers – In Bunnat, 36, and Rin Phearum, 18 – died at the scene in O’Romduol commune’s Thnol Bot village. Five others, who were also travelling on the overloaded truck from Sampov Loun to Phnom Proek district, were seriously injured.

“The accident was caused by the vehicle’s overloading. There were an estimated 40 tonnes of cement loaded on the truck, and the truck is very old,” Moharun said.

According to Moharun, the authorities called an ambulance from Samlot district referral hospital, but because the victims’ conditions were severe, the medics decided to send them to the emergency hospital in Battambang town for treatment.

Moharun added that no company representative had yet contacted the authorities. He said the pieces of truck and cement were gathered and impounded temporarily at Phnom Proek District Police Station.

The cement bags bore an “M” emblem, but the company’s name could not be verified.