Vietnam's Ministry of Health has issued an urgent directive requiring hospitals to prioritise the treatment of victims following a serious coach crash in Gia Lai Province.
The ministry on August 31 instructed healthcare facilities to deploy maximum personnel and resources to provide emergency care and treatment for those injured in the accident.
The scene of the coach overturn in Gia Lai (Photo: Pham Hoang).
According to a preliminary report from the Gia Lai Department of Health, the crash resulted in four fatalities and 20 injuries.
The injured were initially taken to Hung Vuong Gia Lai Hospital for treatment. One patient was later transferred to Cho Ray Hospital, while another was moved to Gia Lai Provincial General Hospital for further care.
The ministry also directed hospitals to coordinate closely with higher-level specialist medical centres and to arrange transfers whenever advanced treatment is required.
The accident occurred at around 3 am on August 31 when a coach carrying 33 people, including two drivers, one assistant and 30 passengers, overturned on the roadside along a bypass section of National Highway 19 in Gia Lai Province.
The crash killed four people and left many others injured.
According to Gia Lai Province Police, the bypass road had not yet been officially accepted, handed over or opened for public use. Several components of the project were still under construction and undergoing completion to meet regulatory requirements.
Authorities said vehicles were not permitted to travel on the route because it had not yet entered official operation.
Police have placed driver Nguyen Canh Ha Long in criminal detention as part of an ongoing investigation into the cause of the crash.