Five young girls were killed and 21 other students injured after a bus carrying children to school veered off a road and plunged into a deep pond in Cambodia, sparking a desperate rescue effort by nearby villagers.
The devastating accident happened around 7:10 a.m. Tuesday, November 10, in Kandal province, approximately 25 miles north of the capital, Phnom Penh.
According to local police, the white Mitsubishi bus was transporting 26 students, including 12 boys and 14 girls, to BELTEI International School when the driver suddenly lost control.
Investigators believe the 31-year-old driver was traveling at high speed when a motorcycle crossed directly in front of the vehicle.
The driver reportedly slammed on the brakes to avoid a collision, causing the bus to skid off the roadway and plunge into a roadside pond.
Within moments, the vehicle was submerged in water deep enough to make escaping extremely difficult for the children trapped inside.
Nearby residents rushed toward the sinking bus, desperately trying to pull students from the water before it was too late.
Witness Sun Kunthy, who helped with the rescue, told the Associated Press that villagers performed CPR on some of the children after getting them out.
Despite their efforts, five girls between the ages of 12 and 14 lost their lives.
Nov Sokhon, chief of traffic police in Khsach Kandal district, confirmed that all five victims died from drowning.
Another three students suffered serious injuries, while 18 others sustained minor injuries. The surviving children were taken for medical treatment.
Police said the death toll could have been even higher if local residents had not reacted so quickly.
Images and videos from the scene showed the bus partially submerged near the edge of the pond as residents and emergency personnel gathered around the crash site.
Authorities later recovered the damaged vehicle as investigators worked to determine exactly what went wrong.
Police detained the driver for questioning and are preparing a case file. In their preliminary findings, investigators alleged that he had been speeding and driving without sufficient caution before the crash.
The vehicle was operated by a private transportation provider hired by the students’ families, rather than by BELTEI International School itself.
The school’s founder and director-general, Ly Chheng, expressed deep sorrow over the deaths and extended condolences to the victims’ families.
The tragedy has once again raised concerns about road safety in Cambodia, where traffic accidents remain a significant public safety problem.
According to national police figures cited by the Associated Press, more than 1,300 people were killed in road accidents across the country during the first 10 months of 2026.
For the families of the five girls, what should have been an ordinary morning trip to school ended in an unimaginable loss.
Authorities are continuing their investigation into the deadly crash.
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