China News Service, Phnom Penh, May 6 (Reporter Huang Yaohui) As of May 6, local time, the death toll has increased to 10 and 121 people have been admitted to hospital for treatment.
According to the Governor of Kratie Province, Watun told the media on the same day, six of the 10 people who had died were women, and 68 of the 121 hospitalized people were women. Waton said that the poisoning incident was suspected not to be food poisoning, but to be caused by drinking local polluted water sources.
The local "Cambodia-China Times" said that Governor Watun said that the Cambodian Minister of Health had dispatched doctors to the local area to participate in the treatment of patients and further investigated the incident.
The incident took place on the afternoon of May 4th in Si Nuo Village, Zhibolei County, Kratie Province. On that day, 5 people died and 18 people were admitted to hospital for emergency treatment. Waton explained that the preliminary investigation found that most local residents drank a small stream nearby and suspected that someone might spray pesticides nearby before the incident. Because of the rain, pesticides flowed into the stream.
Watun said that at present, the government has "blocked" local streams, banned villagers from drinking, and switched to drinking water urgently transferred by the government. (End)