4 workers die in accident at unlicensed Cambodian gold mine

By Busra Selvi Ogutcen

PNHOM PENH, Cambodia (AA) - Four people have died in an accident in an unlicensed gold mine in Cambodia, the country’s information minister said Friday.

The victims had been hired by a couple who own the mine in the rural jungle village of Snong An in the Kampong Thom region, Khieu Kanharith said on Facebook.

Kanharith cited a resident, Ven Srey Tith, who said unlicensed mining activities are illegal and that is why authorities recently told villagers that they cannot mine in the area.

Tith said villagers had to mine because of poverty.

She said mining has been done in Snong An since 2012 and such a big accident has never happened.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar