Western European woman killed in Vietnam road crash

By Le Hoang August 20, 2019 | 09:18 pm PT

Police examine a road crash site in Ninh Binh Province where a foreign woman driving a motorbike was killed by a truck on August 20, 2019. Photo by VnExpress/Lam Son.

A foreign woman was killed and her male friend was seriously injured after a truck slammed into their motorbikes in the northern province of Ninh Binh Tuesday.

Their names and nationalities have not been revealed but preliminary information from the local police was that they were from Western Europe.

At around 5 p.m. they were riding on National Highway 1A in Tam Diep Town, two hours south of Hanoi, when a truck carrying construction materials hit them from behind.

The woman died on the spot after being dragged under the truck while the man fell and was hospitalized with serious injuries.

Local authorities said the gloomy weather and heavy rains had caused poor visibility at the time of the accident.

Road crashes are a leading cause of death in Vietnam, killing almost one person every hour. More than 18,720 accidents occurred last year, killing 8,244 people and injuring nearly 14,800, according to the National Traffic Safety Committee.