A night bus from Cambodia’s top tourist destination plunges off a bridge, killing 16 passengers

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — A passenger bus in Cambodia crashed off a bridge into a river, killing at least 16 passengers and injuring two dozen others, police said.

The bus was traveling from Siem Reap, home to the fabled Angkor Wat temple complex, to the capital Phnom Penh, when it crashed early Thursday morning in the central province of Kampong Thom, the deputy police chief for the area, Siv Sovanna, told The Associated Press by phone.

He said Friday the death toll rose from 13 to 16 after rescuers completed the search Thursday night.

A preliminary investigation suggested the driver had been drowsy after his nighttime departure from Siem Reap, for what is normally about a 5 1/2 hour trip, Siv Sovanna said. He didn’t say if the driver was among the dead.

There were believed to have been about 40 passengers who boarded the bus. All those on the bus were Cambodians, police said.

Traffic crashes in Cambodia killed 1,509 people in 2024, while 1,062 people were killed in the first nine months of 2025 in the country, according to the Ministry of Public Works and Transport.