PHNOM PENH: According to authorities, a sizable throng gathered at the residence of a local businessman on Thursday to accept red envelopes containing cash for the Lunar New Year, causing at least four individuals to be crushed and choked to death.
Hundreds of people are pressed up against the enormous gates of a home in downtown Phnom Penh owned by Sok Kong, a close supporter of former Cambodian leader Hun Sen, according to images and video circulated by local media.
According to Sam Vicheka, a spokeswoman for the Phnom Penh Police, “tycoon Sok Kong gave out gifts this morning and a lot of people came to his home hoping to receive one.”
“As they pushed to receive a gift, some elderly people with health issues fell, and so far four people — two men and two women — died,” he said.
He added that five more persons were being treated at the hospital. The amount of money in each red envelope—which are frequently distributed by affluent families in Cambodia in the lead-up to Lunar New Year—was unclear.
One of the richest individuals in Cambodia is Sok Kong, who amassed an empire in entertainment and hospitality after making his fortune in gasoline.
According to local media, Sok Kong and the governor of Phnom Penh had pledged to provide each person’s family with a total of 15 million riel, or roughly $3,700.
who had passed away, and each injured individual will receive about $1,000.