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Sad and stupid. The cruise ship did a hit and run equivalent of the driver "fleeing" from the scene of the accident, when they could have saved two people from drowning.

Two rowers missing, presumed dead in Tonle Sap boat crash
Fri, 11 November 2016
Mech Dara

Two rowers from a boat racing team in town for the Water Festival are missing, presumed dead, after their vessel collided with a cruise ship on the Tonle Sap river this morning.

The men – identified as Chhoen Chorn, 36, and Sok Chan Chesda, 18 – were among nine members of a team from Phnom Penh’s Prek Thmei commune preparing to practice ahead of a race this evening when their craft was clipped by the 223-foot Cruiseco Adventurer, a river cruise ship that runs between Vietnam and Cambodia.

Ouch Soy, 56, a crewman sitting next to the two victims at the time, said their vessel was caught in the path of the faster cruise ship and struck on the left-hand side approximately four metres from the stern at about 7:15 am.

“The ship blew their horn but our boat was slow and could not move away,” Soy said.

“All of the people jumped out of the boat, which was broken in the crash. When the ship hit us, I jumped out of the boat, while Chorn and Chesda did not jump. They just sat, ducked their heads and disappeared into the water.”

“After [the crew from the Adventurer] threw the life-saving devices, they drove away without pulling us from the water.”

Soy said the company and crew had begun discussions about a settlement, though the amount of compensation would be determined after the pair’s bodies are found.

An email to the Australia-based Cruiseco Line, which also operates tours in Myanmar, has yet to be answered...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/t ... boat-crash

It's not too late to cancel the water festival. [ as a sign of respect ]

The bodies of both victims have been found further down the river in Kandal province; identified as Chhoen Chorn, 36 in S'Ang district and Sok Chan Chesda, 18, in Lwea Aem district.

RIP. Unfortunate start to the Water Festival.

CEOCambodiaNews wrote:The bodies of both victims have been found further down the river in Kandal province; identified as Chhoen Chorn, 36 in S'Ang district and Sok Chan Chesda, 18, in Lwea Aem district.

RIP. Unfortunate start to the Water Festival.

The families are negotiating compensation from Cruiseco with the help of the authorities. Looks like a slap on the wrist; the company will pay up, and there will be no fault found and no investigation.

The family of two rowers killed in a boat accident on Friday will today meet with representatives of the cruise ship company involved to negotiate a compensation package, with no court complaint or arrests having been made as of yesterday.

Phnom Penh Post.

Cruiseco, the company owns the cruise boat, has agreed to pay $20,000 compensation for each death and this has been accepted by the families.

This means that a trial to determine the responsibilities of all parties concerned will be avoided and no lessons will be learnt.

The families of two men who drowned after their Water Festival rowing boat collided with a cruise ship carrying Vietnamese tourists have accepted $20,000 compensation each from the company, according to the boat’s team leader.

This is pathetic, as in sadly TIC:

[Despite this,] Mr. Bunreth said he believed the compensation was reasonable.

“I think the amount of compensation is acceptable for me if I compare it to road accidents, where some victims receive no compensation,” he said.

Cambodia Daily