HÀ NỘI — A total of 57 people were killed on the roads during the National Day holidays, according to traffic officials.

Over the three day period, there were 73 accidents in total which also saw 46 people injured.

The figures were released yesterday in a report from the Traffic Police Department under the Ministry of Public Security.

Although the amount of accidents and injured people dropped compared to the same period last year, the number of people killed increased by 11.

Yesterday only, the country saw 23 accidents killing 16 people and injuring 20 others.

Road traffic police in provinces and cities across the country punished more than 16,600 violators with total fine of more than VNĐ7.1 billion (US$308,600). As many as 117 automobiles and more than 2,300 motorbikes were temporarily seized.

Twenty eight teams of inspectors were set up to check traffic safety along highways.

The hotline of the National Committee for Traffic Safety received 67 calls reporting traffic jams in several roads in Hà Nội and HCM City. They also reported overloaded coaches on highways and increased ticket prices. — VNS