Cambodian crashes kill 14 garment workers, injure 79
· Michael West
Two separate traffic collisions in Cambodia have killed at least 14 garment factory workers and injured 79 others, mostly women.
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The garment sector is Cambodia’s main export earner, with low labour costs being its competitive advantage.
Salaries, including overtime, generally amount to $US200 ($A280)- $US300 ($A420) a month.
The first incident occurred in the province of Kampong Chhnang, approximately 60 kilometres north of the capital, Phnom Penh, when a heavy cargo truck crashed into an open-top truck transporting workers to their factory.
At least seven people were killed and 46 others injured in a traffic accident on National Road 5 in Kampong Chhnang province this morning. It was reported that a container truck hit a vehicle transporting workers. In another traffic accident in Svay Rieng province this morning,…
— Noan Sereiboth (@noansereiboth) May 23, 2026
Nine people were killed and 44 were injured, according to a statement issued by the Labour Ministry.
The second crash occurred in the south-eastern 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 Labour Ministry statement said 74 of the 93 crash victims were female, roughly matching the proportion of women in the garment sector workforce.
Container Truck Hits Packed Worker Transport Vans in Kampong Chhnang, 9 Dead and 44 Injured
A container truck traveling north at high speed slammed into a worker transport van that had stopped to turn left outside Sala Lekh Pram primary school in Kampong Tralach district… pic.twitter.com/B08M32ETwJ
— Jacob in Cambodia 🇺🇸 🇰🇭 (@jacobincambodia) May 23, 2026
The Labour 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 1467 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 and footwear, employs an estimated 800,000 to one million people in some 1900 factories.
Production accounts for more than $US15.5 billion ($A21.7 billion) in exports last year, according to the country’s Commerce Ministry.