One dead as bus plows into median on HCMC – Phan Thiet expressway

The accident occurred in Dong Nai Province at around 3:00 a.m. when the bus carrying 26 passengers from Phan Thiet City to Ho Chi Minh City collided with a truck.

The crash caused the assistant to be violently thrown out of the bus and left many passengers injured.

The police confirmed later that the 24-year-old died of his injuries.

They said the bus, after colliding with the truck, crashed into the median strip and plowed into the opposite lane before being stopped by the guard rail.

"It is possible that the bus driver did not keep a safe distance from the truck," a traffic police officer said.

The driver, 43, tested negative for alcohol and drugs, he added.

Many of the passengers smashed the glass windows of the bus and crawled out to safety.

One of them, Pham Thi Nga, who was en route to HCMC to get treatment for a leg injury, said the bus departed at 2:00 a.m. and she fell asleep until being woken up by a "loud bang."

She then heard people screaming and breaking the window glasses.

"Without the railing on the other side, the bus would have plunged out of the expressway."

The 99-km Dau Giay – Phan Thiet Expressway opened to traffic in April this year.

It runs between Dong Nai and Binh Thuan provinces and links up with the Ho Chi Minh City – Long Thanh – Dau Giay Expressway between HCMC and Dong Nai.

They have shortened the travel time between HCMC and Phan Thiet to two hours from the earlier six.