PHNOM PENH, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Five villagers had died and 18 others hospitalized in eastern Cambodia's Kratie province after drinking contaminated water, a local police official said Saturday.
The incident occurred at an indigenous people's village in Chitborey district since Thursday, said Om Phy, deputy police chief of Kratie province.
"Two men and three women were confirmed dead on Friday and 18 others had been admitted to hospital after they reportedly drank water from a canal in the village," he told Xinhua.
He said the victims had the same symptoms such as chest pain, dizziness, vomit, stomachache and eye irritation.
According to Om Phy, it was suspected that the water was contaminated with insecticide that farmers used on their crops planted along the canal.
"It's just the start of rainy season, and there is rain these days, I suspect that rain water has flown insecticide from the farms into the canal," he said.
Om Phy said a sample of the water in the canal had been sent to a health laboratory in Phnom Penh for examination, and the result was unavailable yet.