118 Cambodian garment workers faint in 2 factories

Source:Xinhua Published: 2014-4-3 18:11:19

At least 118 workers at two garment factories fainted on Thursday morning due to possible food poisoning, a local official said.

The workers had been sent to hospitals soon after the incidents and the rest of the workers in the two factories had been allowed to take a day-off, said Khim Sunsoda, deputy governor of Phnom Penh City's Por Senchey district, where the incident occurred.

"We don't know the exact reason of the mass fainting, but we suspected that they ate tainted food during a factory party at night because they also got diarrhea," he said, adding that most of them have recovered after receiving medical treatment.

The two factories have a total of about 4,000 workers and are owned by the same boss, he said.

"The factories produce clothing for Adidas and Puma brands," he said.

Mass fainting has often occurred in Cambodian garment factories. Last year, 823 workers fainted in various factories due mainly to overwork, poor health, exposure to chemical substances, and hysteria, according to the report of the Ministry of Labor.

The garment and shoe industry comprises more than 900 factories with about 600,000 workers. The sector is the kingdom's largest foreign exchange earner that generated some 5.53 billion US dollars in revenues last year.

Posted in: Asia-Pacific

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