KON TUM — Money from the road maintenance fund will be used to ensure traffic safety on Lò Xo mountain pass on Hồ Chí Minh Road, said the Ministry of Transport following an accident that killed three and seriously injured 19 others in the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum.

The accident happened when a coach carrying 44 people bound for the southern province of Bình Phước fell off the road into a 20m deep abyss early Saturday morning. The dead included two 10-year-old children. 

The injured victims are being treated at Kon Tum hospital.  

According to Kon Tum’s traffic safety committee, the bus was operated by a company in the northern province of Hải Dương. It lost control and plunged into the abyss at about 2:15 am. By 6 am, rescue forces got all the victims out of the vehicle and took them to a local clinic for first aid.
Investigation into the accident’s cause is underway. 
Chairman of the National Traffic Safety Committee - Deputy Prime Minister Trương Hòa Bình has conveyed his sympathy to the victims and their families and sent a team led by the committee’s Vice Chairman Khuất Việt Hùng to the site.

Deputy Minister of Transport Lê Đình Thọ yesterday inspected 27 kilometres of the Lò Xo pass.

Accidents often occur on the section of Hồ Chí Minh Road – a key connection of the Central Highlands region with Đà Nẵng City.

“We will spend the road maintenance funds to work on comprehensive solutions for traffic safety on the pass first,” Thọ said, adding that first solutions included installing more bars to slow speed, signals and traffic barriers.

Turning points on the pass would be widened, he said, noting that there should be more rest stops for drivers.

The 27km Lò Xo Pass runs through Kon Tum Province. On March 1, a serious accident occurred, killing one person and injuring dozens of others. — VNS