HÀ NỘI – Deputy Prime Minister Trương Hòa Bình ordered the police force to intensify patrols and traffic law compliance on highways following a major vehicle accident in the central province of Bình Thuận yesterday that killed 13 people.

It also left 35 others suffering from severe burns.

Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc and Deputy Prime Minister Trương Hòa Bình sent their condolences to the families of the crash victims.

Deputy PM Bình, who is Chairman of the National Traffic Safety Committee, requested Bình Thuận’s police to quickly establish the cause of the accident so that the culprits could be stringently punished.

He sent officials from the committee and the Ministry of Transport to the scene to work together with Bình Thuận’s relevant agencies in addressing the accident’s consequences.

Healthcare services and medicines should promptly be given to the injured, he said, also asking that all possible assistance be given to the families of the victims so that they could recover the remains of their relatives and organise funerals.

The accident reportedly occurred at 4am on the section of National Highway 1A that crosses Thuận Nam Town in Hàm Thuận Nam Commune. Officials said two passenger coaches were struck by a truck and were engulfed in flames.

One of the coaches was a Phương Trang sleeper bus – a well-known transport company in southern Việt Nam. The sleeper bus was on route from Quảng Ngãi Province to HCM City, while the other coach involved in the accident was traveling from HCM City to Quảng Ngãi Province.

The two coaches were completely destroyed by the ensuing fires, while the driver’s compartment of the truck was also destroyed.

Authorities confirmed by 9am this morning that 13 people had been killed in the accident. Due to the severity of the burns inflicted, not all victims have been identified yet.

Another 36 who were injured are being treated at Hàm Thuận Nam Hospital and Bình Thuận General Hospital.

The crash caused a three-hour traffic jam on the highway, though traffic returned to normal by about 7am.

Stricter management

—VNS