A passenger bus rests against a mountainside after crashing on Khánh Lê Pass in Khánh Hòa Province on Monday morning. Five people were injured in the accident. — Photo courtesy of Khánh Hòa 115 Emergency Centre

HCM CITY — Five people were injured after a passenger bus carrying 21 people crashed into a mountainside and overturned on Khánh Lê Pass in central Việt Nam's Khánh Hòa Province on Monday morning.

The accident occurred at around 6am on National Highway 27C in Nam Khánh Vĩnh Commune as the bus, registered in Đà Nẵng, was travelling from Nha Trang to Đà Lạt.

According to initial reports, the vehicle lost control while negotiating a bend, veered into a roadside drainage ditch and overturned against the mountainside.

The bus was carrying 19 passengers and two drivers.

The impact severely damaged the right side of the vehicle and shattered several windows. Five passengers suffered injuries to their arms and legs and were assisted out of the bus while awaiting emergency medical treatment.

Khánh Hòa's 115 Emergency Centre activated an inter-hospital emergency response, dispatching four ambulances from the centre and nearby medical units to the scene within about 10 minutes.

Medical personnel triaged and provided first aid to the injured before transferring them to Khánh Hòa General Hospital for treatment.

Traffic police from Team No. 1 in Khánh Vĩnh regulated traffic to keep vehicles moving along the highway while emergency crews responded to the crash.

Authorities are investigating the cause of the accident.

Khánh Lê Pass stretches about 33km along National Highway 27C, a key 121km route linking the coastal city of Nha Trang with the Central Highlands resort city of Đà Lạt. The road is heavily used by tourist coaches and freight vehicles.

The latest crash comes just five days after a container truck overturned on the same pass, trapping its driver inside the cab until rescuers used specialised equipment to free the victim. — VNS