Body of man struck by train found in Kampot

A 38-YEAR-OLD man was killed yesterday in Kampot province’s Banteay Meas district after being hit by a train, according to a district police official.

The man, identified as Ut Bunthea, was a resident of Trapaing Sala Kang Lech commune and had attended a birthday party on Monday night in a nearby village across the train tracks. Police are unsure as to why Bunthea was at the tracks but said it could be due to his history of excessive drinking, said Tob Vanny, the district’s police chief.

“He walked home alone, but we do not know why he was unconscious on the railway tracks,” Vanny said, adding that Bunthea was found with deep injuries to his arms and legs.

Vanny said Bunthea was known among the community to drink a lot, an issue that was exacerbated after his divorce from his wife.

There have been multiple train-related accidents in the Kampot this year, especially since the resumption of passenger services on the southern line, which runs from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville.

In June, a cement truck collided with a train in the same district when the driver attempted to cross the tracks before the train passed. Also, two trucks ran into the same train in two separate incidents in September.

In a freak accident in March, a man drove his moto headlong into a moving freight train, despite the train driver sounding his horn repeatedly.