Traffic has resumed on the highway section through Nghe An province after a passenger bus fire resulted in one fatality.
According to information from Phuc Thanh Hung Investment Joint Stock Company – the investor of the Dien Chau – Bai Vot expressway project – by 1:15 PM on January 3rd, the section of the expressway passing through Nghe An province had been reopened to traffic after the passenger bus fire incident that occurred on the night of January 2nd.
Previously, Nghe An Newspaper and Radio & Television reported that at approximately 11:40 PM on January 2nd, a passenger bus traveling on the Dien Chau – Bai Vot expressway suddenly burst into flames between the Nghi Phuong interchange and the Than Vu tunnel.
The specific details were later revealed. A passenger bus with license plate 38H-049.xx, traveling from South to North on the Dien Chau - Bai Vot expressway, suddenly burst into flames at Km 442+900, south of the Than Vu tunnel, in Than Linh commune (Nghe An province).
Upon receiving the report, the Fire Prevention, Fighting, and Rescue Police Department of Nghe An province dispatched two fire trucks and dozens of officers and soldiers to the scene, coordinating with other functional forces to extinguish the fire and regulate traffic. After about an hour, the fire was brought under control; however, the passenger bus was completely destroyed.
The cause of the fire is currently being investigated by the authorities.
The fire caused a prolonged traffic jam on the highway. The highway operations team, in coordination with the traffic police, diverted vehicles to the N5 exit at the Nghi Phuong intersection (formerly Nghi Loc district). The bus company then arranged for other vehicles to pick up passengers to continue their journey.
According to reports, at the time of the incident, 10 people on the bus managed to escape, but one 12th-grade male student (from Ha Tinh province) is suspected to have fallen asleep and was unable to get out of the bus in time, resulting in his death.
