Police in Cambodia have arrested three people for their reported involvement in a ferry sinking incident that claimed 15 lives in the Mekong River in the south-eastern part of the country late last week.
The announcement of the arrests in connection with the October 13 incident, during which an unnamed passenger ferry sank in the stretch of the Mekong that passes through Kandal province, came at around the same time as did reports of the recovery of the last missing victim.
The 15 fatalities including the recently recovered victim were all schoolchildren aged 11 to 14, local police officials confirmed. The only four survivors included two children and two adult crewmembers.
The two owners of the ferry's operating company and one crewmember have been taken into police custody as part of the investigation into the tragedy.
Kandal province's chief of police said the ferry was being used to continue transporting passengers despite its deteriorated condition. Other reports meanwhile stated that the vessel was overloaded and that the crew had not provided lifejackets to any of the passengers.
