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Driver of the five-ton truck, Nguyen Cong Sang, detected fire on the side of the vehicle at around 12:30 p.m. while delivering oil barrels from Ho Chi Minh City to the Mekong Delta.
Sang had stopped the truck, which had arrived in Tan An Town of Long An Province, and rushed out.
An oil truck catches fire on HCMC - Trung Luong Expressway. Video by VnExpress/Hoang Nam, Cong Sang, Hoang Thuong
A few minutes later, the fire grew in ferocity, with oil spilling onto the street, causing the fire to spread along 100 meters of the highway, resulting in a heavy traffic jam in the direction from HCMC to Long An.
Black smoke billowing from the flames ground traffic to a halt.
Sang said he heard repeated blasts as the fire blazed.
Five fire trucks responded to the incident.
According to a traffic police officer, the event caused no fatalities or injuries but only serious congestion.
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A burned oil truck causes a long tailback on HCMC-Trung Luong Expressway in Long An Province, May 4, 2022. Photo by VnExpress/Hoang Nam |
HCMC – Trung Luong Expressway, the only high-speed road connecting the southern metropolis with the delta, has seen traffic increase by 30 percent and more than 200 accidents since toll collection was stopped in January 2019.
The 62-kilometer, four-lane expressway allows vehicles a maximum speed of 100 kph.
