Portuguese forward dies in Vietnam car-truck collision

The car was running on National Highway 14 in Chu Puh District of the Central Highlands' Gia Lai Province, where the club is based, when they were hit by a truck from behind at around 3 p.m.

The collision pushed the car towards another truck running on the opposite direction and it ended up squeezed in between the two trucks. Locals had to break down the car's doors to get four people including the driver out of the car.

The car carrying three members of Hoang Anh Gia Lai football club is crushed between two trucks in Gia Lai Province, Aug. 12, 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Oanh

Le Quang Thai, chairman of the Chu Puh District People's Committee, said the three car passengers died on the spot, while the 57-year-old driver was rushed to hospital with severe injuries.

Hoang Anh Gia Lai lost 0-1 to Song Lam Nghe An on Friday in the final round of group B in the second phase of V-League 2023. Doan Nguyen Duc, president of the club, said the team's members, 48-year-old assistant coach Duong Minh Ninh, 29-year-old Doan Trong Tri, and the 27-year-old forward were going home that day.

"I was shocked because of the accident. It is such a great loss to the club," he said.