Screenshot of a car gutted by fire on the HCM City–Trung Lương Expressway early April 30, triggering a traffic jam stretching about 10 km. — VNS Photo Bồ Xuân Hiệp

ĐỒNG THÁP — A car was gutted by fire on the HCM City-Trung Lương Expressway early Thursday, triggering a traffic jam stretching about 10 km during the Reunification Day holiday rush, authorities said.

The five-seater, bearing HCM City plates, was travelling toward the Mekong Delta when it began emitting smoke at around 3:40am near Tân Hương Commune.

The driver pulled over in the second lane and rushed a woman and a three-year-old boy out of the vehicle to safety.

The driver attempted to extinguish the flames using a handheld fire extinguisher but failed as the blaze quickly engulfed the car.

The vehicle was completely destroyed, sending a column of smoke tens of metres into the air.

Traffic police and expressway operators dispatched fire engines to the scene and brought the fire under control shortly afterward.

With traffic volumes surging for the national holiday, the incident caused severe congestion for several hours. Authorities diverted vehicles to National Highway 1 to ease the bottleneck.

By around 6:30am, traffic on the expressway had largely returned to normal.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The 50-km HCM City-Trung Lương Expressway, opened in 2010 with four lanes and two emergency lanes, has seen rising traffic volumes in recent years and is being expanded to address frequent congestion and accidents. — VNS