At least 10 students in southern Cambodia who were crossing a river died after the boat they were on capsized, officials said.
Four people, two students and two of the boat’s crew, were rescued following the accident on Thursday night of October 13, 2022, on the Mekong River southeast of Phnom Penh, and one student was still missing as at Friday, October 14, 2022, police said.
Major General Chhoeun Sochet, chief of the Kandal provincial police, said on his social media page that the boat was overloaded and lacked life jackets.
The students, who were between 12 and 14 years old, were returning from an English class on Thursday, October 13, 2022, AP News disclosed.
They lived on an island in the river and used the ferry for transport almost every day in the rainy season, as did others from their village.
During the dry season, the river sometimes has little or no water and can be traversed by foot.
The accident occurred near the Neak Loeung bridge over the Mekong, which at that point separates Kandal province on the western shore from Prey Veng on the east. The bridge is part of Route 1, a major road connecting the capital, Phnom Penh, to Ho Chi Minh City in neighboring Vietnam.
The police chief in Kandal’s Leuk Daek district, Am Thou, said the accident occurred as the boat was approaching the shore. It took on water in the bow, and the students were instructed to move to seats in the middle or stern of the boat.
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