10 Chinese tourists injured in road crash in SW Cambodia

Ten Chinese tourists were injured in a collision between their rented minibus and a cargo truck in southwestern Cambodia's Kampot province on Thursday, a local police officer said.

The crash took place at 2:10 p.m. local time on national road No. 3 in Tuek Chhou district, when the two vehicles were driving in an opposite direction and hit head-on, said Chea Pheara, deputy police chief of Tuek Chhou district.

"All 10 Chinese in the minibus got injured, but only two of thema man and a womanwere in serious condition," he told Xinhua, adding that the injured tourists had been rushed to a local hospital for treatment.

The minibus, carrying the Chinese tourists, was travelling from Phnom Penh City to coastal Kampot province when the accident happened, he said, adding that the minibus driver, a Cambodian was also wounded.

According to Pheara, the cargo truck was blamed for the accident, as its driver escaped the scene soon after the crash.

Road accidents are a leading cause of death in the Southeast Asian country, killing an average of six people per day.

According to a government's report, road crashes killed 2,265 people last year, up 5 percent year-on-year. Enditem