Rescue forces salvage the bodies of the victims in a traffic accident that killed five people in Nghệ An Province on Sunday evening. — VNA/VNS Photo

NGHỆ AN — Five people were killed after a car hit a motorbike in the central province of Nghệ An on Sunday evening.

The accident occurred at 8pm when a seven-seater car carrying three people was driving on a suspension bridge across the Giăng River in Thanh Chương District and collided a motorbike carrying two men moving in the opposite direction.

The car then crashed into the bridge's barrier and plunged into the river.

All three men in the car were found dead after local rescue forces retrieved the car at 11pm on the same day.

The rescue forces also found the body of a man on the motorbike after falling into the river and the other man died on the way to the hospital.

The victims in the car were Nguyễn Thế Tuấn, Lê Đình Anh and Lê Đình Quyết from Thanh Nho Commune, Thanh Chương District, while those on the motorbike were Hoàng Anh Tuấn and Đào Văn Nam from Thanh Liên Commune, Thanh Chương District.

Police are investigating the cause of the accident, but initial investigations indicate the car driver, Nguyễn Thế Tuấn, could not control his speed.

Deputy Prime Minister and head of the National Committee for Traffic Safety Trương Hoà Bình and transport minister Nguyễn Văn Thể instructed the vice head of the National Committee for Traffic Safety Khuất Việt Hùng to visit the scene and deal with the aftermath.

They also sent their condolences to the victims’ families.

Bình asked authorities to analyse the cause of the incident and implement solutions to prevent similar incidents. — VNS