Police inspect the scene of the accident. — VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Tân |
TÂY NINH — At least six people were killed and 10 were injured when two coaches collided at about 4am on Monday in Dương Minh Châu District of the southern province of Tây Ninh.
A 16-seat coach travelling in the HCM City-Tây Ninh direction collided with a 45-seat coach travelling in the opposite direction. The chairman of Tây Ninh Province’s People’s Committee, Phạm Văn Tân, said the accident was caused when the driver of the smaller coach fell asleep and veered into the opposite lane.
According to initial information, all those who died on the spot, including the driver, were travelling on the 16-seat coach. The injured were treated at Tây Ninh General Hospital and Củ Chi General Hospital. The victims were traveling from An Giang Province to Tây Ninh Province to visit a pagoda on Bà Đen Mountain.
A witness told the media, “I heard a loud explosion on the road while I was asleep. Running out, I saw a terrible scene -- many people dead on the spot and the injured screaming and crying.”
The Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the National Traffic Safety Committee, Trương Hòa Bình, said the People’s Committee of Tây Ninh Province must conduct an investigation and clarify the cause of the accident, as well as impose strict punishment on the violators. — VNS