Phnom Penh: Nineteen people were killed
and at least seven others seriously injured on Friday in one of
Cambodia's worst-ever traffic accidents, police said.
The head-on crash happened when a truck slammed into a
van packed with passengers in the popular southern beach town
of Sihanoukville.
"There are 19 dead at the scene," Sihanoukville
traffic police chief Prum Pov said.
He said the truck veered onto the other side of the
road before hitting the other vehicle.
"We don't know why the truck went that way. The truck
was going down a slope," Prum Pov said. "We are investigating
the cause of the incident now."
Traffic accidents are a leading cause of death in
Cambodia, killing more than 1,600 people in 2010.
Better roads -- allowing people to go faster -- and
more vehicles contribute heavily to this bloody toll, but bad
driving is the main cause behind most accidents, police say.
PTI
First Published: Friday, March 04, 2011, 18:29