Cambodia night bus plunges off bridge, killing 16 passengers
A night bus travelling through central Cambodia plunged off a bridge into a canal early Thursday, killing 16 passengers and injuring more than two dozen others, according to police and local media reports.
The bus was carrying 37 people from Oddar Meanchey province to the capital, Phnom Penh, when it veered off the bridge in Kampong Thom province shortly after 3 a.m. local time. The Cambodian news outlet Camboja News reported that the vehicle had made a stop in Siem Reap, the country’s main tourist hub and home to Angkor Wat, before continuing its journey south, News.Az reports, citing Al Jazeera.
Authorities said all passengers on board were Cambodian. Police believe the driver—one of two alternating during the overnight route—fell asleep at the wheel, though it has not been confirmed whether he is among the deceased.
Images posted by Interior Minister Sar Sokha showed the bus half-submerged as a crane lifted it from the water. Rescue teams continued searching the river through Thursday night, raising the death toll from 13 to 16 after locating additional victims.
Injured passengers were transported to a provincial hospital in Kampong Thom. Local authorities arranged for the bodies of the deceased to be returned to their families.
Cambodia’s National Road Safety Committee reported nearly 700 road deaths in the first half of 2025, a slight improvement from the nearly 800 fatalities recorded during the same period the previous year.
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