PHNOM PENH, NNC – Cambodian Prince Norodom Ranariddh was seriously injured, and his wife was killed, in a car accident on Sunday (6/17/2018) in the southwestern coastal city of Sihanoukville, police said.
Ranariddh’s sport utility vehicle (SUV) was hit by a taxi driving in the opposite direction, said Chuon Narin, provincial police chief of Preah Sihanouk.
“The prince was taken by helicopter for emergency rescue in Phnom Penh,” said Chuon Narin. “He was badly injured but he will be fine,” he explained.
Ranariddh’s wife, Ouk Phalla, 39, a great figure of traditional dance, died at a hospital in Preah Sihanouk, said Chuon Narin, adding that the two SUVs involved in the accident had been speeding.
The son of the influential King Norodom Sihanouk and the present-day King Norodom Sihamoni’s half-brother, Ranariddh, 73, has had a turbulent political career.
He returned to politics in 2015 to lead the Funcinpec Party, the supporters of the king who ousted him a few years ago.
In 1997, he was ousted as prime minister in a bloody coup and since returning to politics, has promised to work with former long-time opponent and prime minister Hun Sen as quoted from Antara.
