Sleeper bus plunges into ravine, over 40 people injured.

• June 23, 2015 18:34

Around 12 noon today, a sleeper bus traveling on the Ho Chi Minh Highway plunged into a deep ravine upon reaching the Lo Xo Pass (Quang Nam province). 33 passengers were rescued, but many others remain trapped at the bottom of the ravine.

5:30 PM
According to Mr. Trinh Xuan Loc, Vice Chairman of Dak Glei district, more than 100 police officers, soldiers, and medical staff from the province have been mobilized to Lo Xo Pass.
"Dozens of doctors and nurses followed ropes down into the ravine, transferring the injured on stretchers back up to the road," said Dinh Thi Ai Nhung, Director of the Dak Glei District Medical Center.
The man who was trapped in the bunk bed and died was Vo Duc Nam (49 years old, residing in Dak Nong province).
The Hyundai car was almost completely wrecked.
5:00 PM
From the edge of the ravine down to where the car crashed, the depth is approximately 50 meters. The bottom of the ravine is about 150 meters deep, steep, surrounded by bushes, with only two large trees. The car fell and got stuck on the base of a large tree, causing it to stop. A rescue worker expressed concern that any strong impact on the car could cause it to roll further down.
The accident occurred in an area with light traffic and far from residential areas – about 5-6 km away – so there was no congestion, but many people still came to watch.
4:00 PM
Rescue efforts had to be temporarily halted because the overturned passenger bus was stuck, and they had to wait for a larger rescue vehicle from Da Nang to arrive. Inside the wrecked bus, many sleeping berths were crushed, so authorities could not determine how many victims were still trapped.
"The driver was unconscious, so it's unclear exactly how many people were in the vehicle. We recorded one death and seven injuries at the scene," he said.Nguyen Son, the traffic police team leader of Phuoc Son district, who directly participated in the rescue, said:He added, "Many provincial leaders, border guards, and medical personnel who went down into the ravine had no choice but to sit and wait for rescue vehicles."
Many forces were present but were unable to free the vehicle or search for victims using only manpower. Photo: Nguyen Chinh.
Previously, most of the less injured victims crawled out on their own, and some took buses back to their hometowns."Most of the victims suffered broken arms and legs, and soft tissue injuries," said Dr. Dinh Thi Ai Nhung.The director of the Dak Glei District Health Center said.
3:50 PM
Vehicles powered by generators were deployed to cut open the car in an attempt to retrieve the body of the unfortunate man, but without success due to the rugged and complex mountainous terrain.
Kon Tum Provincial Police have identified the passenger bus involved in the accident as bearing license plate 48B-00016, driven by Le Quang Huan (39 years old, residing in Buon Ma Thuot City, Dak Lak Province). The bus departed from Dak Nong at 1:00 AM this morning en route to Nam Dinh, and at kilometer 1409+100 on the Ho Chi Minh Highway, it fell into a ravine and overturned.The initial cause may have been the driver losing control of the vehicle due to excessive speed.
"The provincial police have directed the prompt handling of the consequences and the investigation to clarify the cause," said Pham Truong Dan, Deputy Director of the Quang Nam Provincial Police.
3:40 PM
The Quang Nam Department of Health dispatched four teams of doctors to provide emergency medical assistance. The provincial border guard also sent officers and soldiers to participate in the rescue efforts.
At the scene, the sleeper bus was overturned with all four wheels pointing skyward, and luggage, fruit, and other belongings were scattered at the foot of the pass. One person lying on the upper bunk was trapped and died, while many others were injured, some seriously, and were transported to Phuoc Son Medical Center in Quang Nam.
The car overturned at the foot of the mountain pass. Photo: Mạnh Cường.
3:20 PM
According to Mr. Huynh Tan Phuc, Director of the Kon Tum Department of Transport, which borders the accident site, the victims are being pulled up from the 150-meter-deep ravine and transferred to Dak Glei Hospital in Kon Tum and Kham Duc Hospital (Phuoc Son, Quang Nam). Approximately seven people are confirmed to still be trapped in the overturned vehicle.
Warning signs indicating danger have been posted on Lo Xo Pass for many years. Photo: Quang Nam Newspaper.
3:00 PM
The National Traffic Safety Committee reported one death and six seriously injured. Rescue teams from Tam Ky city (Quang Nam province), approximately 160 km from the scene, are en route to Phuoc Son to provide assistance.
14:40
The accident occurred at noon today when a 45-seat sleeper bus traveling from Dak Nong northward suddenly plunged into a ravine more than 100 meters deep upon reaching Lo Xo Pass, the border between Quang Nam and Kon Tum provinces.
"It wasn't raining at the time, and the scene shows no signs of a collision. It's possible the brakes failed while descending the mountain pass," said Son, the head of the traffic police team in Phuoc Son district (Quang Nam province), who is currently at the scene.
Rescue teams have managed to bring 33 passengers to safety, while the rest remain trapped in the ravine.
Lo Xo Pass (marked in red) is located between Quang Nam and Kon Tum provinces.
Lo Xo Pass is 27 km long, bordering Phuoc Son district (Quang Nam province) and Dak Glei district (Quang Nam province).(Kon Tum). The pass has many sections with a 10% gradient and a length of over 3 km. From 2011 to April 2014, this road saw 19 traffic accidents, resulting in 14 deaths and 45 injuries.