Onlookers watch the cars sink in a hole by a construction site by Phnom Penh's Olympic Stadium after a heavy rain on Wednesday, June 8, 2016.
The city is thought to be at high risk of sinkholes due to its position astride numerous lakes, which the government has filled in over the years to expand the land on which it can build.
Residents living close to a large skyscraper project next to the sinkhole have become concerned.
Hout Hang, 60, who saw the road collapse during a rainstorm on Wednesday, said he had watched in amazement as the tarmac gave way.
"It just suddenly happened, and three cars fell into the sinkhole," he said. "Luckily the cars were just parked there, otherwise, if people were driving, it would be dangerous and could have killed people," he said.
"I think the construction is too close to the road and that made it collapse," he added, referring to a nearby construction site.
Prak Heng, 49, a moto-taxi driver, said the collapse had followed hours of torrential rainfall.
"We all went to see what had happened and search for the cars' owners."
Se Veoun, 60, a local resident, said the community was now scared that the same could happen on their property.
"Before this huge construction project started, nothing like this happened. If it rains again, sinkholes might happen again, unless the construction is finished."
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