Cruise ship runs aground near Cambodia seashore, leaving 2 dead, 2 missing

A small cruise ship hit a sandbank near the seashore in southwestern Cambodia's Kampot province, leaving two persons dead and two others missing, a local police chief confirmed Tuesday.

The accident took place at 9:10 p.m. (local time) Monday night when the ship, carrying about 70 domestic tourists, returned from watching fireflies along the sea and ran aground, said Gen. Mao Chanmathurith, police chief of Kampot province.

"The ship hit the sandbank, throwing several passengers off it," he told Xinhua. "Also, some other passengers panicked and jumped into the water because they confusingly thought that the cruise boat was sinking."

"Two women drowned, as a mother and her young son are missing," he said. Endit