12 killed in Vietnam bus crash en route to help typhoon survivors

dpa German Press Agency
Published: Thursday October 12, 2006

Hanoi- Twelve passengers were killed in a bus crash in southern Vietnam Friday as they travelled to help survivors of Typhoon Xangsane, police said. Nguyen Huu Khanh, police commander in Suoi Hiep commune in Khanh Hoa province, where the accident occurred, said only one passenger in the 12-seat Mercedes bus survived when it collided head-on with a 50-seat passenger bus. The driver was killed instantly, and the survivor sustained serious injuries, Khanh said.

All of those on board the Mercedes bus lived in Ward 13 of the Phu Nhuan district of Ho Chi Minh City and were on their way to deliver donations and food to victims of the typhoon that ravaged central Vietnam two weeks ago, killing at least 42 people and leaving tens of thousands homeless.

"All the victims came from Ward 13, and today is Friday the 13th," Khanh said. "Spiritually, we have no evidence to make a connection, but today is a bad day."

The only survivor from the Mercedes and several passengers on the other bus who were injured were taken for treatment at a local hospital, said police, who are investigating the cause of the accident.

"From the marks on the road and debris of the collision, we think that they were driving at a very high speed," Khanh said.

Every day, an average of 30 people are killed in traffic accidents in Vietnam, according to official statistics. Traffic accidents and drowning are the two biggest causes of death in the country.

© 2006 dpa German Press Agency