A 16-seat Ford Transit bus is seen flipped over and heavily damaged.
It was carrying 21 people when it collided with a tractor in Nui Thanh District at around 4 a.m. Tuesday.
Most of the passengers on the bus were patients traveling from Quang Ngai Province to Da Nang, both bordering Quang Nam, for medical check-ups. When the vehicle reached an intersection on Vo Chi Cong Street, it collided with the tractor running on the opposite direction.
Local people and rescuers had to break through the glass windows to get those trapped inside out of the bus. 8 people died, including the bus driver, while 13 others were taken to the Quang Nam General Hospital.
Seats, doors and other objects are seen heavily damaged inside the bus.
Nguyen Thi Mai, 60, said she was asleep when the accident happened.
"I heard a loud noise so I opened my eyes. My arm was trapped in between the seats. The bus has already been flipped over, and I couldn't find the people who were sitting near me," she recalled.
"I looked around and saw that the glass was partially broken. I was determined to climb out, even if my arms and legs might be injured."
A slipper is left behind at the scene of the accident. Leaked oil also stains the road in black.
Le Thi Le, a witness, said she ran out of her house to see what was happening when she heard a loud noise.
"I heard a woman asking someone else: 'Dad! Are you okay?' I screamed for help, as there were around 10 people at my home at the time. When I told them to go out and see, they said that everyone was dead."
"Some of us used knives and sticks to pry the doors open and get people out. Then I called the police and the ambulance."
Traffic police officers have barricaded the scene to figure out the cause of the accident.
Data from the Department for Roads of Vietnam revealed that the bus was running at 69 kph at the point of the accident. 10 seconds before the accident happened, it was running at 73 kph. The speed limit is 60 kph.
The tractor was running at 30 kph at the point of the accident, and 48 kph 10 seconds before the accident happened.
Police officers perform forensic procedures for the wheels of the container truck, where blood trails could be seen.
At 9:30 a.m., the incident has largely been resolved.
Vo Chi Cong Street runs along the coast of Quang Nam, which typically sees little traffic. The road leading to the Tam Hiep Port often sees several tractors running back and forth. The intersection of the two roads allows four lanes, with red traffic lights only working during the day. At night, there's only yellow traffic lights available.
Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang has requested personnel of the National Traffic Safety Committee to travel to Quang Nam to cooperate with local authorities and resolve consequences of the accident.
