Phnom Penh, Nov 15 (IANS): At least four persons were killed as a small cruise ship hit a sandbank near the seashore in Cambodia's Kampot province, police said on Tuesday.
The accident occurred on Monday night when the ship, carrying about 70 domestic tourists, returned from watching fireflies along the sea and ran aground about 30 metres from the seashore, Xinhua news agency quoted a police official as saying.
"The ship hit the sandbank, throwing several passengers off it," he said.
"Also, some other passengers panicked and jumped into the water because they confusingly thought that the cruise boat was sinking."
"Four persons, including two elderly women and a mother and her young son, drowned in the accident," he said.
According to the police, a victim's body was found soon after the accident, and the bodies of three other victims were recovered on Tuesday.