Cambodia News (Kandal Province): A tragic accident occurred on December 26, 2022, at the Kbal Kor Svay Broteal river ferry dock in Russey Chroy village, Kandal, when a tuk-tuk rolled off the ferry, killing a 6-year-old girl who drowned. The tuktuk driver is Morn Dara, a 28-year-old man, who was with his wife, and they were taking their 6-year-old niece back to her home across the river.

According to the couple, the family were all sitting in the tuktuk on the ferry, but when the ferry gone about 10 meters from the dock, the tuk-tuk started rolling off into the river, taking the driver, his wife, his child, and his niece, down into the water. While falling into the water, the wife managed to rescue their child, but the niece was thrown out of the tuk-tuk into the river, and although the couple dived into the water immediately to find her, it was hopeless. Around 40 minutes later, they found her body but it was too late.

The child's 30-year-old mother, Morn Kanha, was distraught after learning of the fatal accident. Meanwhile, the owner of the ferry, Kong Song, 85 years old, took responsibility for the accident by paying all the funeral expenses for the victim. Kong Song has also said that he will take legal responsibility for the tragic event, but he pointed out that if the tuktuk driver had followed the ferry protocols, by not sittting in the vehicle during the crossing, by putting on the hand brakes, and by blocking the wheels of the tuktuk with logs, the accident would not have happened.

However, it was later discovered that the operator left in charge of the ferry by the owner was an underage teenager, who fled the scene after the accident, and the villagers criticized the owner for exploiting a child who was not in a position to maintain the passengers' security on board the boat.

Props to the ferry owner and the people who jumped in after her.

Would this be a case of the river going extremely fast or the little girl just sinking?