In the early morning of March 16th, a devastating traffic accident occurred on the Ho Chi Minh Road, in Lac Thuy district, Hoa Binh province, when a truck collided head-on with a passenger bus. This tragic collision claimed the lives of three people and paralyzed traffic on the crucial route for several hours.
At approximately 5:20 AM, the sleeper bus, driven by 46-year-old Hoang Van Canh from Nghe An province, was traveling towards Hanoi – Thanh Hoa. The bus was empty of passengers at the time. Simultaneously, a truck carrying soil, driven by 28-year-old Bui Van Quy, along with Bach Cong Anh and Bach Cong Tuyen, all residents of Hoa Binh, was traveling in the opposite direction.
The weather conditions at the accident site were poor; it was still dark, and heavy drizzle reduced visibility, possibly contributing to the serious truck and bus head-on collision.
Wrecked bus after head-on collision with truck
The direct head-on impact between the truck and the passenger bus created a loud noise. The soil truck overturned onto the road, spilling soil from its bed, covering more than half of the Ho Chi Minh Road. The front of the sleeper bus was completely deformed, and the windshield was shattered, indicating the extreme force of the truck vs bus collision.
According to information from the Traffic Police Department, all three fatalities in this tragic accident were the bus driver Hoang Van Canh, the truck driver Bui Van Quy, and one passenger in the truck (Bach Cong Anh). Bach Cong Tuyen was seriously injured and taken to the hospital for emergency treatment.
The truck and passenger bus collision caused both vehicles to block the road, resulting in severe traffic congestion stretching for kilometers in both directions on the Ho Chi Minh Road. Authorities in Lac Thuy district quickly arrived at the scene, collaborating with the Traffic Police Department to manage traffic flow and investigate the cause of the truck head-on bus crash.
Traffic jam after truck-bus collision
In another incident, also on the night of March 15th, in Khanh Hoa, a serious railway accident occurred when the SE21 passenger train carrying 170 passengers and 6 tons of goods, traveling from Da Nang to Saigon, collided with a container truck in Dien Khanh district. This railway accident paralyzed the North-South railway line, significantly impacting transportation.
The collision between the passenger train and the container truck pushed the container truck nearly 20 meters, trapping it in the side of the train. A lot of scrap and industrial machinery from the container truck were scattered, and the head of the passenger train was derailed, and four train carriages were badly damaged. Fortunately, the passengers on the train and the container driver escaped unharmed.
Damaged train after collision with container truck
According to the Deputy Director of Railway Transport Saigon Nha Trang branch, the railway accident location had a warning sign but no guard. This incident disrupted the railway line for more than 7 hours, causing many trains to be stranded at stations. By 4 AM on March 16th, after mobilizing rescue forces and cranes, the North-South railway line was reopened.
Phuong Son – Xuan Ngoc
