HCM CITY — During the week-long Tết holiday from February 14 to 20 traffic accidents claimed 168 lives across the country while 37,200 other people were injured, according to a report issued on Tuesday afternoon by the Ministry of Health.

A total of 12,600 people were hospitalised for treatment following accidents, with the number skyrocketing on the third and fourth days of the new year.

The Lunar New Year fell on February 16 this year.

Besides, there were 197 cases of firecracker-related injuries, a 28 per cent increase compared to last year. No deaths were reported.

Health facilities across the country treated 810 people suffering from alcohol poisoning.

More than 4,100 people received emergency aid for injuries caused in fights. But 13 of them died while more than 2,700 had to be hospitalised.

In HCM City, health establishments received more than 16,400 emergency cases during the holidays, a 16 per cent reduction from the same period last year, according to its Department of Health.

Five people were killed in traffic accidents and nearly 1,500 others were injured.

Nine people were injured by firecrackers while 300 others sustained injuries from fighting.

More than 260 people were hospitalised with food and alcohol poisoning.

The emergency department at Chợ Rẫy Hospital in HCM City, one of the city’s major medical facilities, received more than 2,000 patients, including 585 involved in traffic accidents. — VNS