PHNOM PENH: Cambodian Prince Norodom Ranariddh was injured and his wife killed in a two-vehicle collision that left five others hurt on Sunday morning in the resort city of Sihanoukville, a police official said.
Sihanoukville police chief Chuon Narin said Ranariddh's sport utility vehicle collided head-on with an SUV taxi carrying five people around 9am.
The prince, who heads the royalist Funcinpec Party, and his wife, Ouk Phalla, who were on their way to see supporters in Sihanoukville, were seriously injured and immediately sent to a hospital in Sihanoukville. His wife later succumbed to her injuries around 12.30pm, according to the police chief.
All five people in the taxi also suffered injuries.
"The prince was taken in a helicopter for an emergency rescue in Phnom Penh," Chuon Narin said. "He is seriously injured but he will be fine."
It is the second time in nearly three years for Ranariddh and his wife to be injured in a collision. In April 2015, a truck ran into two vehicles including the prince's SUV, injuring him and his wife.
Ranariddh is the second son of the late monarch Norodom Sihanouk and a half-brother of the current king, Norodom Sihamoni.
Cambodia's Supreme Court dissolved the main opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) last year, leaving the way clear for Hun Sen to extend more than three decades of rule in an election on July 29.
Ranariddh's Funcinpec was allocated most of the CNRP's parliamentary seats after its dissolution, and its leader, Kem Sokha, was arrested over accusations of plotting to take power with the help of the United States.
The CNRP and Washington have both denied the charges.
