Four people were killed and five others injured in a crowd crush after one of Cambodia's richest people offered envelopes of cash as a Chinese Lunar New Year gift.
The victims were crushed as the crowd of hundreds surged forward when the gates to Sok Kong's walled compound in Phnom Penh opened to start the distribution of $10 (£8.13) in cash and two kilos of rice, police said.
The victims, who all fainted in the crush and fell to the ground, were taken to hospital but two women and two men, aged between 37 and 71, could not be saved, police said.
It was not immediately clear whether they were killed in the initial crush of the crowd or from injuries they sustained once on the ground.
Following the incident the authorities cleared the crowd and suspended the rest of the giveaway, which is part of an annual Chinese New Year event by the businessman.
Sok Kong has multiple investments, including in the hotel, casino and oil industries, and is also known to have a close personal relationship with former longtime Prime Minister Hun Sen.
He and other wealthy residents of the capital traditionally give gifts to the poor annually for Chinese New Year.
It will take place on Wednesday, January 29.
