Five young schoolgirls were killed and 21 other students injured after a bus carrying children to school suddenly veered off a busy road and plunged into a deep pond, triggering a desperate rescue operation as villagers raced to save those trapped inside.
The devastating accident unfolded Tuesday, November 10, around 7:10 a.m. in Cambodia’s Kandal province, approximately 25 miles north of the capital, Phnom Penh.
According to local police, 26 students between the ages of 12 and 14 were traveling to BELTEI International School when their vehicle suddenly swerved off National Road 8 near Anlong village.
Witnesses told investigators that a motorcycle unexpectedly crossed in front of the bus, forcing the 31-year-old driver to slam on his brakes and swerve to avoid a collision.
The vehicle skidded off the roadway and plunged into a roadside pond, overturning and becoming partially submerged.
Although the bus came to rest just a few feet from shore, the water was deep enough to make escaping extremely difficult for the children trapped inside.
Local residents who witnessed the crash immediately rushed toward the water, desperately trying to pull students from the sinking vehicle.
Some rescuers waded into the pond while others helped carry injured children to safety.
One witness, Sun Kunthy, described how villagers performed CPR on children who had been pulled from the water in an attempt to save their lives.
Despite their efforts, five girls drowned.
Eighteen other students suffered minor injuries, while three were critically injured and rushed to nearby hospitals for emergency treatment.
Nov Sokhon, the chief traffic police officer for Khsach Kandal district, confirmed the deaths and said the tragedy could have been even worse without the quick actions of local residents.
Disturbing photographs from the scene showed the damaged school vehicle near the water as police, rescue workers and grieving relatives gathered along the roadside.
Heartbroken family members were seen mourning their children, while others participated in traditional Cambodian religious rituals honoring the victims.
Authorities detained the bus driver, identified by local reports as Men Tharith, 31, of Prey Veng province, as investigators began examining the circumstances surrounding the crash.
Police said preliminary findings suggested the driver had been traveling at an excessive speed and failed to exercise sufficient caution when the motorcycle crossed the road.
However, the investigation remains ongoing, and officials have not established whether the driver will face criminal charges.
School officials also clarified that the vehicle was not owned by BELTEI International School. It had been privately hired by parents to transport children from neighboring Prey Veng province to the school’s Prek Ta Mak campus.
BELTEI Group founder and director-general Ly Chheng expressed his condolences to the families, describing the deaths as a devastating loss for the school community.
The crash has also renewed concerns about road safety in Cambodia, where traffic accidents remain a major cause of preventable deaths.
According to the country’s National Police, more than 1,300 people died in traffic accidents during the first 10 months of 2026. Government figures show that 1,467 people were killed in road crashes throughout 2025.
The latest tragedy has left five families grieving children who had simply been on their way to school, while three critically injured students continue fighting to recover.
For the families and classmates left behind, what began as an ordinary Tuesday morning has become an unimaginable loss.
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