Car carrying 20 people overturned on Ho Chi Minh City

Tien Giang: While traveling on the Ho Chi Minh City - Trung Luong highway, a 29-seat passenger car suddenly crashed into a guardrail and flipped over onto the side of the road, seriously injuring two people, at noon on March 9.

At 11:30 a.m., Mr. Nguyen Viet Khoa, 58 years old, drove a 29-seat car with a Ben Tre license plate carrying about 20 passengers on the highway from Ho Chi Minh City to the West. When reaching Tan Ly Dong commune, Chau Thanh district, the driver suddenly lost control of the car. The car lost control, hit the highway guardrail, and then plunged down the embankment.

Accident scene. Photo: Nam An — Accident scene. Photo: *Nam An*

At the scene, a section of the highway guardrail was damaged, the passenger bus's windows were broken, and it was lying upside down on the side of the road. Four people in the car were seriously injured and taken to the hospital, while others suffered minor injuries.

Tien Giang General Hospital said that among the seriously injured passengers was a 5-year-old child with a severe femur fracture who had to be transferred to the Trauma and Orthopedics Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City. A 49-year-old male patient with a femur fracture is being monitored in the hospital's Emergency Department.

Rescued 20 passengers from overturned car on Ho Chi Minh City - Trung Luong highway — Authorities and local residents rescued 20 passengers from an overturned car. Video: *Hoang Nam*

According to hospital test results, driver Khoa had a blood alcohol concentration while driving.

The highway management unit said the road surface where the accident occurred was smooth and the traffic safety system was complete. The cause of the accident is under investigation.

Rescuers take the injured to the emergency room. Photo: Nam An — Rescuers take the injured to the emergency room. Photo: *Nam An*

The Ho Chi Minh City - Trung Luong Expressway is nearly 62 km long, has 4 lanes, and has been in operation since 2010, with a maximum speed of 100 km/h. Five years ago, the expressway stopped collecting tolls, but the number of vehicles increased by over 30%, reaching 40,000-50,000 vehicles per day, causing the road surface to be overloaded, damaged, and prone to accidents.

In the middle of last year, the expressway was proposed to be expanded to 8 lanes, including 2 emergency lanes, with a total investment of nearly 10,000 billion VND, expected to be completed in 4 years. The proposal was approved by the Government under the form of public-private partnership (PPP).