A school bus transporting private‑school students overturned into a pond on National Road 8 in Khsach Kandal district of Kandal province, killing five students and injuring 21 others, police said on Tuesday morning at 7:10 a.m. local time.
Nov Sokhon, the district’s traffic police chief, told Xinhua that the bus had to swerve to avoid a motorcycle before it tipped over and plummeted into the adjoining pond.
"Five female students were pronounced dead, and 21 others were injured, including three who remain in critical condition," Sokhon said by telephone. He added that the deaths were likely caused by drowning.
The driver was detained by authorities, while the injured victims were rushed to the nearest hospital for emergency medical care.
According to Sokhon, the incident occurred on National Road 8, a major thoroughfare in the Khsach Kandal district.
Kandal province lies in southern Cambodia, and the tragedy unfolded in a rural area where school buses are commonly used to ferry students to private schools.
Transport officials noted that the bus had been carrying students of a private school, though no additional information about the vehicle or its occupants was released by authorities.
Local residents described the scene as chaotic, with the bus tipping sideways before finally plunging into the pond from the roadside.
While the number of serious injuries remains high, hospital officials said the medical team was able to stabilize most of the injured students upon arrival.
Police are investigating whether any safety protocols were breached during the incident, and they have begun reviewing the bus’s maintenance records and the driver’s clearance certificates.