PHNOM PENH, May 19, 2015 (AFP) - At least 16 Cambodian garment workers were killed and 22 injured on their morning commute Tuesday when a bus crashed into the van transporting them, officials said.
“A bus from Prey Nokor (Ho Chi Minh City) overtook a car and crashed into a van transporting 38 garment workers, killing 16 of them on the spot,” Cheang Am, governor of eastern Svay Rieng province, told AFP by telephone.
He said 22 other workers were injured with eight in a critical condition.
The Cambodian driver of the bus was arrested, the governor added.
Svey Rieng is an eastern province on Cambodia’s long border with Vietnam. The main road between Phnom Penh and Ho Chi Minh City runs through the centre of the province.
Cambodia’s garment sector has been hit by a series of strikes and protests over wages and working conditions in factories producing items for top Western brands.
Disputes over wages, safety and conditions are frequent and sometimes turn violent.
The multi-billion dollar garment industry employs about 650,000 people in Cambodia and is a key source of foreign income for the impoverished country.
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