Mass fainting occurs at footwear factory in S. Cambodia

PHNOM PENH - More than 100 workers at the Grand East Footwear International Corp in south Cambodia's Kandal province got fainted on Monday morning due to chemical odors, according to a news release on the National Police website.

"More than 100 out of the 1,350 workers at the factory collapsed at 10:05 a.m. (local time) due to exposure to chemical substances," the release said, adding that the ill-fated workers were sent to hospitals soon after the incident.

No one was in serious condition.

On Saturday, some 60 workers at the Long Lead footwear factory in north Cambodia's Kampong Chhnang province also collapsed in fears of an electric fault.

The Ministry of Labour reported 1,806 faintings last year, up 119 percent from 823 in a year earlier.

The main causes were overwork, poor health, poor environment, exposure to chemical substances, and hysteria, the ministry said.