Guest guest Posted July 18, 2002 Report Share Posted July 18, 2002 Five die in bat cave mystery http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,4728831%255E1702,00.html July 18, 2002 CAMBODIAN authorities were investigating the deaths of five men who died mysteriously after entering a bat cave in search of food, officials said. Orn Sum, a deputy governor of Banteay Meanchey province, said four men entered a remote bat cave in Thmor Pouk district about 360km north west of the capital on Sunday. Three of the four died while trying to catch bats for food. On Monday the survivor and a fifth man re-entered the cave to retrieve the dead bodies but both men also died. " It is a mystery, and I have ordered the local authorities and police to investigate this matter seriously, " Orn Sum said. " We do not know yet what was the cause of their deaths. " He said the men may have died from a lack of oxygen or been bitten by poisonous animals living in the cave. He also said there had been a report the men may have tried to smoke the bats out with a fire and suffocated in the process. " We are still wondering: If there was no oxygen in there, then how could the bats survive? " Orn Sun asked. He said the fire would not explain the two deaths on Monday. Cambodians used to eat all kinds of animals and insects including bats, a legacy of the Khmer Rouge 1975-1979 rule when 1.7 million people died through alleged genocide, illness and starvation. The practice still exists among some people who live in the countryside. Agence France-Presse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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