11 Students Die After Boat Ferry Capsizes In Cambodia

Phnom Penh: As many as eleven students, who were crossing a river in a boat, died after it capsized, officials said. The incident was reported from southern Cambodia.

According to reports, the students, all between 12 and 14 years age, were returning from an English class. 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.

Four people — two students and two of the boat’s crew — were rescued following the accident Thursday night on the Mekong River southeast of Phnom Penh, police said.

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