November 18, 2025
PHNOM PENH – Environmental officials are attending the scene of a Pursat province railway accident which saw several tanker wagons leave the tracks at around 6am this morning, November 17.
More than 100,000 litres of diesel was reportedly spilt in the crash, which saw three out of 24 fuel tankers on a fuel train derailed in Chreh village, in Bakan district’s O’Tapong commune.
The derailment was caused by a “subsided track”, according to Phan Rim, spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Works and Transport.
He said no injuries were reported.
The train had departed from Phnom Penh and was heading to Boeung Pring station in Battambang province.
Immediately after the accident, Royal Railway Cambodia dispatched a safety crew and railway repair team to the site. Fuel extraction trucks from the Sokimex petroleum company were also sent to recover the spilled fuel, along with two heavy-duty cranes.
The Ministry of Environment also deployed officials to assess the scene and contain the fuel leak.
Khvay Atitya, spokesperson for the environment ministry, said an initial inspection confirmed that three tanker wagons overturned, with two of them leaking diesel. Each tanker carried 66,000 litres.
Technical teams assessed the extent of the spill, observing large amounts of floating oil residue spreading across rice fields near villagers’ homes close to the derailment site.
Following the incident, many local residents began collecting the spilled fuel for their own use.