A passenger train collided with a large truck, derailing three carriages and delaying all rail operations in Vietnam.
The truck as well as three carriages of the train flipped over
At about 8am on August 6, passenger train TN6 was running through Phu Ly City at a speed of 50 kilometres per hour when it struck a truck, carrying a load of sand. The train operator was unable to stop in time and smashed into the truck.
Upon impact, three carriages flipped over and were derailed, ripping apart 50 metres worth of railway.
The train engineer was seriously injured as well as his assistant. Both were rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment.
The train was carrying over 300 passengers but none were in the three carriages that flipped.
The truck’s driver fled the scene upon impact and police are trying to find his whereabouts.
After the accident, the road running from Nam Dinh City to Hanoi was heavily congested but by 10am, police had traffic moving again.
All trains, heading north or south were delayed for about 9 hours to allow rescue teams to remove the train and the truck from the rails.
According to Pham Van Binh, Head of the Railway Traffic Safety Department, local people had built many road crossings, which were not approved by authorities, along the tracks. At the road crossing where the accident happened, there is no alerting system or barrier, only a sign.
The scene of the accident
Result of the crash
People rush to help
Only a warning sign
