Five young students died Tuesday morning in Kandal province, Cambodia, when their school bus veered off the road and plunged into a deep pond. The accident occurred approximately 25 miles north of the capital, Phnom Penh, according to a statement from the provincial police.
Witnesses reported that a motorcycle suddenly crossed in front of the fast-moving bus, prompting the driver to brake sharply. This maneuver caused the bus to skid off the road and into the water.
Video footage shared on social media showed the bus submerged close to the shore, but deep enough to make escape difficult for the students. Local villagers rushed to the scene to assist, with some performing CPR on children they managed to rescue.
Twenty-six students, aged between 12 and 14, were on the bus. In addition to the five fatalities, three students were reported to be in critical condition, and 18 sustained minor injuries. The 31-year-old bus driver was taken into police custody for questioning.
Authorities confirmed that all five girls died by drowning. The chief traffic police of Khsach Kandal district noted that the death toll could have been higher if not for the timely intervention of local residents.
This incident highlights ongoing traffic safety concerns in Cambodia. A report released in early November by the National Police indicated that traffic accidents had claimed over 1,300 lives in the country during the first ten months of the year. Another report from the Transport Ministry stated that 1,467 people died in traffic accidents in 2025, making it the leading cause of accidental death in the Southeast Asian nation. In May of the same year, two separate accidents involving overloaded trucks carrying garment factory workers resulted in at least 14 deaths and 79 injuries, predominantly among women.