Vietnam bus fire kills 7; driver says he was drowsy, survivors recount escape
At least seven people were killed and five others injured after a passenger bus caught fire in southern Vietnam early Tuesday. According to The Times
At least seven people were killed and five others injured after a passenger bus caught fire in southern Vietnam early Tuesday. According to The Times of India, citing Vietnam's Ministry of Public Security, the 24-seat bus was travelling from Lam Dong province to Ho Chi Minh City when it struck an embankment in Hung Thinh Commune at around 2 AM. The impact triggered a fire that quickly engulfed the vehicle. Also Read | Vietnam tragedy: Police arrest speedboat captain after 15 Indian tourists die The bus driver, 41-year-old Tran Thanh Hai, shouted for passengers to evacuate as flames spread through the cabin, VnExpress reported.
Firefighters from Dong Nai's Fire Prevention, Firefighting and Rescue Police brought the blaze under control in about 30 minutes after deploying emergency vehicles to the scene. The five injured passengers were taken to Thong Nhat General Hospital for treatment, while authorities recovered the bodies of seven victims from the charred bus. One survivor has since been discharged with minor injuries. Survivor recounts escape One of the survivors, Than Thao, told Vietnamese news outlet 24h, as quoted by The Week, that she woke up after hearing a loud noise at around 2 am and saw the bus engulfed in flames.
"Everyone rushed to grab their belongings and get out of the car. At that moment, flames shot up from one of the middle doors, so everyone had to run to the front and then jump out. There were still many people in the car at the time, but they couldn't get out in time. I only found out in the morning that seven people were trapped inside. I was the last one to get out and suffered minor burns." Other survivors said passengers seated near the front managed to escape, while those at the rear of the bus were unable to get out before the fire spread.
Authorities are investigating the cause of the crash. Police said the driver's alcohol and drug tests were negative. However, he reportedly admitted that he had been distracted while driving and was drowsy due to lack of sleep. Also Read | Vietnam boat tragedy: Bodies of 15 Indian nationals to be brought to Mumbai
The BriefWire