Two tourists die after car plunges into Da Lat lake

Pham Hong Hai, 50, was driving three others from southern Vietnam to Da Lat in the Central Highlands Thursday night. When the car reached Tran Quoc Toan Street, it plunged into the Xuan Huong Lake.

Two passengers in the back, a man and a woman, managed to open the car door and swim back to safety. But Hai and another passenger, 30-year-old Thai Chi Nhan who was in the front seat, failed to escape and sank with the car.

Police managed to take the car out of the water at around 8 p.m., but the two people trapped inside were dead. It was raining heavily in Da Lat at the time of the accident.

The 25-ha Xuan Huong Lake in downtown Da Lat is a popular tourist destination.