PHNOM PENH, Dec. 23 (FN) -- A truck transporting garment workers to their factory overturned in southeastern Cambodia on Friday, leaving 44 people injured, the Labor Ministry said.

The accident occurred at 7:20 a.m. local time (0020 GMT) in Svay Rieng province due to vehicle malfunction.

"Forty-four workers got injured, including eight in severe condition," the ministry said in a statement.

The injured had been rushed to nearby hospitals for treatment, and the National Social Security Fund would cover their medical expenses.

Transporting workers in open trucks to and from factories is common in Cambodia. Last Friday, some 29 garment workers were wounded when their truck collided with a pick-up truck in northern Kampong Chhnang province.

The country's 6.5-billion-U.S. dollar garment industry is composed of some 1,000 factories, employing around 750,000 workers.