A horrific bus crash resulted in the deaths of five young girls and 21 other injured students on Tuesday in Cambodia.
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A bus transporting students to BELTEI International School veered off the road and plunged into a pond in Kandal province, according to a translated
press release shared by the Kandal Provincial Police Commissariat.The agency accused the driver of speeding and swerving suddenly to avoid a motorcyclist crossing the road. The driver then lost control, skidded off the road and plunged into a pond.
The bus was carrying 26 students when it crashed.
Three students are considered "seriously" injured, with 18 others reporting minor injuries.
Nov Sokhon, chief traffic police of Khsach Kandal district, said all five girls died by drowning, per the Associated Press. The victims were between the ages of 12 and 14, The Phnom Penh Post reported.
The crash happened roughly 25 miles from Phnom Penh, the country's capital city.
Cambodia Residents Rushed to Help Injured Students
Sokhon said the death toll may have been higher if residents had not rushed to the scene of the crash to assist students.
Some residents even performed CPR on injured victims, PEOPLE reported.
Authorities detained the 31-year-old driver for questioning.
Motor Vehicle Accidents Are Common in Cambodia
A report released by the National Police in early November revealed that over 1,300 people were killed in traffic accidents in Cambodia through the first ten months of 2026.
Nearly 150 were killed in October alone. That month, the region averaged five road fatalities per day.
"Most of the crashes resulted from speeding. And failing to yield the right-of-way," Interior Minister Sar Sokha said in a social media post, adding that most of the incidents occur at night.
Deputy National Police Chief Lieutenant General Chev Hak emphasized that motorcyclists are often involved in the fatal crashes. Hak added that motorcyclists often don't wear helmets, which leads to injuries.
According to the CDC, deaths in Cambodia related to motor vehicle crashes increased by nearly 25 percent between 2009 and 2019.
Motor vehicle accidents are one of the country's leading causes of death, CDC data shows.
Roughly 18 million people live in Cambodia.
