At least 13 garment workers were killed and more than 30 others injured in two separate road accidents in Cambodia on Saturday, 23 May, according to Sun Mesa, spokesman for Cambodia's Ministry of Labor. The twin crashes, both involving trucks transporting factory workers, have renewed scrutiny over road safety standards in one of Southeast Asia's largest garment-manufacturing nations.

The Two Crashes: What Happened

The first collision occurred on National Road 5 in Kampong Tralach district, Kampong Chhnang province, in central Cambodia, where a lorry struck a truck carrying garment workers. 'This accident left eight workers dead, and 10 others sustained severe injuries,' Sun Mesa said.

The second crash took place on National Road 1 in Svay Rieng City, Svay Rieng province, in southeastern Cambodia, when a speeding truck transporting garment workers collided with a car. 'This accident left five workers dead, five seriously wounded, and 16 slightly injured,' he added. All injured workers were rushed to hospitals for treatment.

Who Bears the Medical Costs

Cambodia's National Social Security Fund has taken responsibility for the medical expenses of the injured workers. The development is notable given the vulnerability of the workforce involved — the country's garment sector employs approximately 1.1 million workers, the majority of them women, across more than 1,800 factories and branches as of 2025, according to the Ministry of Labor.

A Systemic Risk: Workers in Open Trucks

Transporting workers in open trucks or buses to and from factories is a common practice in Cambodia, one that safety advocates have long flagged as a structural hazard. Saturday's accidents are not isolated incidents — they follow a pattern that has persisted across the industry for years. This comes amid broader data showing that road accidents claimed 1,467 lives and injured 3,213 others across Cambodia in 2025, according to the National Police.

Authorities have previously identified speeding, failure to follow traffic rules, reckless overtaking, and driving under the influence of alcohol as the leading causes of road crashes. Road accidents are the leading cause of deaths and injuries in Cambodia, costing the country approximately 466 million US dollars annually, according to a joint report by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Cambodia and the National Road Safety Committee.

Context: Holiday Accident Figures and Broader Trend

Earlier in April 2025, authorities reported that at least 17 people died in road accidents during Cambodia's traditional New Year holiday from 14 to 16 April — a 34 per cent decline from 26 fatalities during the previous year's holiday. A total of 27 road accidents occurred during the holiday period, down 10 per cent from 30 cases the year before, according to Touch Sokhak, spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior. The injured during the holiday numbered 45, a 4 per cent drop from 47 in the prior year.

Despite marginal improvements during holiday periods, Saturday's factory-worker crashes underline that routine commutes remain as deadly as festive travel in Cambodia. With the garment sector's multi-billion-dollar export value at stake, pressure is expected to mount on authorities and factory owners to enforce safer worker-transport standards.