More than 40 faint as firm denies exit
More than 40 workers had fainted at a garment factory yesterday after officials prevented them leaving the building when four of their co-workers collapsed, a labour department official said. The mass fainting occurred at the Nanguo Garment Co Ltd factory in Preah Sihanouk province’s Prey Nub district, where more than 200 workers fainted less than a month ago. Yov Khemara, provincial director of the Ministry of Labour, said initial investigations suggested 45 women and one man had fainted because of a lack of oxygen. “After the previous fainting, the factory has not really improved its ventilation,” Yov Khemara said. “There is not enough air to breathe. So it caused the heat to increase. Their fear also contributed to the fainting.” About four female workers had fainted in the morning, causing their bodies to convulse and sending their co-workers, who feared the souls of ghosts had entered their bodies, into a frenzy, Yov Khemara said. …
