Two traffic accidents in Cambodia kill 14 garment factory workers and injure 79 others

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Two separate traffic accidents in Cambodia on Saturday killed at least 14 garment factory workers and injured 79 others, mostly women.

The garment sector is Cambodia's main export earner, with low labor costs being its competitive advantage. Salaries, including overtime, generally amount to $200-300 a month.

The first incident occurred in the province of Kampong Chhnang, approximately 60 kilometers (37 miles) north of the capital, Phnom Penh, when a heavy cargo truck crashed into an open-top truck transporting workers to their factory. Nine people were killed and 44 injured, according to a statement issued by the Labor Ministry.

The second crash occurred in the southeastern province of Svay Rieng, one of Cambodia’s main garment-factory hubs. A bus carrying workers veered off the road and overturned, killing five and injuring 35 others.

Flatbed trucks are the usual method of transportation available for workers. They often lack seats or benches, forcing passengers to stand, significantly increasing the risk of injury or death.

The Labor Ministry statement said 74 of the 93 crash victims were female, roughly matching the proportion of women in the garment sector workforce. Labor Minister Heng Sour said in a speech for International Women’s Day in March that about 80% of Cambodia’s garment workers are female.

The Labor Ministry stated it was “deeply shocked by two horrific traffic accidents that occurred simultaneously” and appealed for strict compliance with traffic laws to prevent accidents.

A Transport Ministry report notes that 1,467 people were killed in traffic accidents in 2025, making it by far the leading cause of deaths by accident in the Southeast Asian nation.

Cambodia’s garment sector, comprising clothing, footwear, and travel items, employs an estimated 800,000 to 1 million people in approximately 1,900 factories, with production accounting for more than $15.5 billion in exports last year, according to the country's Ministry of Commerce.

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This story has been amended to correct the number of injured to 79. It had earlier reported an injury total of 93, based on inconsistent figures given earlier by officials.

FILE -In this Dec. 3, 2018 photo, garment factory workers ride a truck as they go home after a day's work at outside Phnom Penh, Cambodia. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith, File)

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — The remains of four Italian divers who died deep inside an underwater cave earlier this month while diving in the Maldives were repatriated early Saturday, a Maldivian government spokesperson said.

The four coffins arrived at Milan’s Malpensa Airport in the middle of the day. The bodies were taken to a morgue and autopsies were due to begin on Monday, according to Italian news agency LaPresse.

Five Italian divers went missing on May 14 while exploring the cave about 50 meters (160 feet) in Vaavu Atoll. The body of their Italian diving instructor was recovered outside the cave at the time and has already been returned home.

A high-risk operation to recover the bodies faced hurdles and was initially suspended after Mohamed Mahudhee, a Maldivian military diver who was part of the recovery team, was killed. Three Finnish expert deep and cave divers joined the mission and located the four bodies last week in the innermost chamber of the cave at a depth of around 60 meters (200 feet). The recreational diving limit in the Maldives is 30 meters (98 feet).

Maldives President’s Spokesman Mohamed Hussain Shareef said Saturday two investigations were initiated; one into the death of the five divers and the other probing how Mahudhee died while on duty. Shareef also said Italy agreed to share any findings of autopsies on the repatriated bodies.

The victims have been identified as Monica Montefalcone, an associate professor of ecology at the University of Genoa; her daughter, Giorgia Sommacal; marine biologist Federico Gualtieri; researcher Muriel Oddenino; and diving instructor Gianluca Benedetti.

Government spokesperson Ahmed Shaam said earlier the four bodies were found “pretty much together.”

While the divers had a permit, authorities didn’t know from their proposal the exact location of the cave they were exploring, and at least two of the dead were not on the list of researchers that had been submitted, according to Maldivian authorities.

Coffins carrying the bodies of the divers who died in the Maldives are unloaded from a plane at Milan's Malpensa airport, Italy, Saturday, May 23, 2026. (Marco Ottico/LaPresse via AP)

Coffins carrying the bodies of the divers who died in the Maldives arrive at Milan's Malpensa airport, Italy, Saturday, May 23, 2026. (Marco Ottico/LaPresse via AP)