Tanker truck going 109 km/h when hitting passenger bus, killing 13 people
Authorities determined that the tanker truck lost its brakes before causing an accident with a passenger bus on National Highway 4D Lai Chau.
The General Department of Roads' journey monitoring device reported that the moment before the concrete tanker with Lao Cai license plate went downhill on National Highway 4D (Tam Duong, Lai Chau) at a speed of 109 km/h. Meanwhile, the maximum speed limit for cars pulling trailers outside densely populated areas is 60 km/h.
At around 9am on September 15, a tanker truck crashed into the back of a 16-seat passenger bus with a Lai Chau license plate in front, causing both vehicles to plunge into the stream.
The stream was shallow, but there were many large rocks, and the two cars were crushed after the strong collision. Furniture, debris, and passengers were scattered everywhere in the stream.
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The front of the tanker truck was crushed after the accident. Photo:GC |
In the morning, authorities found 11 dead people, a baby died on the way to the hospital. That afternoon, when the bus was overturned, another woman's body was discovered, bringing the total number of deaths to 13.
The passenger bus driver, Nguyen Van Hao (39 years old) and the tanker driver, Lo A Lieu (33 years old), both died.
Three seriously injured people were treated at Lai Chau Provincial Hospital.
| Tanker truck collides with passenger bus, 12 people die in Lai Chau. |
Upon receiving information about the incident, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the National Traffic Safety Committee Truong Hoa Binh sent condolences to the families of the deceased victims and visited the injured.
Deputy Minister of Transport Le Dinh Tho and Vice Chairman of the Traffic Safety Committee went directly to the scene to coordinate with local authorities to overcome the consequences of the accident.
National Highway 4D is about 160 km long, running through Lao Cai and Lai Chau provinces. Most of the road runs through high, winding mountains, with deep ravines on one side and a dense system of warning signs.
This highway has seen many tragic accidents that have killed dozens of people. In September 2014, a Sao Viet sleeper bus plunged into a ravine at Tong Sanh slope (Highway 4D, Lao Cai), killing more than 10 people.
