7-vehicle collision jams Mekong Delta expressway

 

 

7-vehicle collision jams Mekong Delta expressway

7 ôtô tông liên hoàn trên cao tốc Trung Lương - Mỹ Thuận

The incident started at around 4 p.m. when a seven-seat car suddenly switched lanes and crashed into a 29-seat car in front of it in Tien Giang Province.

Given the heavy traffic, the duo continued to be crashed from behind by two four-seat cars, a 16-seat car, a truck and a sleeper bus.

Vehicles crash into each other on Trung Luong-My Thuan Expressway, Feb. 18, 2024. Photo by VnExpress/Nam An

The vehicles occupied a section of the lane right next to the medium strip, their front and back parts damaged. Glass debris were scattered all over the road.

Two people on the sleeper bus, including the driver, were injured. Rescuers had to break its door to bring the driver to hospital.

A truck and a sleeper bus caught in a crashing spree on Trung Luong - My Thuan Expressway, Feb. 18, 2024. Photo by Ha Luu

Many passengers on the sleeper bus walked from the expressway to nearby roads to catch a vehicle to continue their journey.

Traffic jam persisted as of at least 8 p.m.

Trung Luong - My Thuan Expressway is the major route connecting HCMC and Mekong Delta, thus seeing a large number of people traveling back to the city after the Lunar New Year holiday on recent days.

The 51-km expressway opened to traffic in April 2022, now serving around 22,000 vehicles every day.

A lack of a emergency lane is one of the reasons that the road is prone to traffic accidents, with around 100 car crashes over the past year.