Accounts from victims of the bus accident in Laos.
(Baonghean.vn) -“Around 2 p.m., after crossing a steep mountain pass, the car slowly descended when it suddenly lost control and overturned on the road. The scene that unfolded before our eyes was one of heart-wrenching cries, shattering glass, and blood in the chaotic wreckage,” lying in his hospital bed, Mr. Tong Van Lo recounted the terrifying trip.
>>Passenger bus overturns in Laos, dozens injured or killed.
A day after the bus accident in Laos, all the victims brought back to Nghe An for emergency treatment are now out of critical condition. Doctors said that many victims have been transferred to hospitals in Hanoi by their families for easier care. Currently, only Mr. Luong Van Huong suffered a head injury and required emergency surgery, while several other patients with less severe injuries are receiving intensive treatment at Nghe An General Hospital.
Lying in his hospital bed, Mr. Tong Van Lo tried to inquire about his wife's health while recounting this fateful trip. As members of the Thai ethnic group from Son La, the couple had long desired to travel to Laos and Thailand. After registering for a tour with a travel company in Moc Chau, they, along with 14 others, mostly couples, traveled from Son La to Vinh City on the night of April 19th. There, they joined a group of 20 tourists from Hanoi. On the morning of April 20th, after breakfast, the entire group of 36 people boarded a tourist bus with a Lao license plate to begin their journey. The bus traveled smoothly, passing through Nghe An province and then to the Cau Treo border gate (Ha Tinh province).
Mr. and Mrs. Tanh and Bai recounted the journey of their fateful trip.
After completing immigration procedures, the group continued their journey by car, traversing the forest to Laos. As first-time visitors to Laos, they were excited to admire the scenery along the way. Around noon, the car stopped at a restaurant in the town of Lac Xao for lunch. Around 1 PM, the car set off again, following National Highway 13 towards the capital, Vientiane. Mr. Lo and his wife, Mrs. Ot, took advantage of the opportunity to nap. About an hour later, while the car was traveling through the forest, it suddenly lurched, crashed, and overturned. “At that moment, I felt a sharp pain in my chest, and I tried to look to the side to pull my wife up. The scene was chaotic, with piles of luggage, broken glass, and blood everywhere. Panic-stricken screams echoed through the deserted road,” Mr. Lo recalled.
At the trauma department, many more seriously injured victims are also being monitored and treated intensively. Mrs. Ha Thi Bai (69 years old), her face bruised and swollen, with a broken arm slung across her chest, is trying to pull a thin sheet over her husband, Mr. Ha Thanh (71 years old), who lies motionless on the hospital bed. She recounts that she and her husband are from Phu Yen, Son La province. Before the car overturned, he was pointing out the scenery along the mountain pass to her. Then, “I think the driver lost the brakes; the car plunged down and overturned in an instant. Both my husband and I were seriously injured and fainted. When I woke up, I found myself in an ambulance.”
A young man (whose name was not given) stated that he was the tour leader from Son La and, having sustained only minor injuries, took charge of contacting the victims' families, handling procedures with the tourism company, processing paperwork at the hospital, and arranging transportation for victims needing to be transferred to another hospital. Immediately after the accident, relatives of the victims from Hanoi and Son La rushed to Nghe An. On the morning of April 21st, many people present at the hospital decided to hire ambulances to transport their family members to Hanoi for easier care. Some other victims are receiving treatment while waiting for their family members to arrive.
The victims of the bus rollover accident are being treated at Nghe An General Hospital.
Dr. Nguyen Duc Phuc, Head of the Emergency Department at Nghe An General Hospital, said that immediately upon receiving the accident victims, despite it being a holiday, the hospital's best doctors and nurses were mobilized to provide emergency care. According to reports, three people died. Those admitted to the hospital all suffered multiple injuries to the head and chest, some with broken limbs and ribs; all are currently receiving treatment in various departments of the hospital.
Reportedly, the 36 tourists from Hanoi and Son La involved in this bus accident were on a 7-day Laos-Thailand tour organized by a travel company in Vinh City, costing approximately 9.6 million VND per person. Mr. Ha Thanh stated that immediately after the accident, the travel company actively called for ambulances and carefully transported the victims back to Nghe An. When the bus overturned, the people and local authorities in Laos also provided enthusiastic assistance to the victims.
Thuy Vinh - Nguyen Khoa
