8 die in passenger bus, tractor collision in central Vietnam

Witnesses said the vehicles were traveling in the opposite direction and rammed into each other at an intersection of Road 129 which runs along the coast in Tam Hiep Commune, Nui Thanh District.

The bus turned turtle and six passengers died on the spot. Two others were rushed to hospital but doctors could not save them.

There were 20 passengers on the bus at the time of the accident. Most of them are from the central Quang Ngai Province and were on their way to Da Nang which borders Quang Nam for health examinations.

The remaining 12 passengers were injured and have been taken to Quang Nam General Hospital.

Data from the Department for Roads of Vietnam shows that the passenger bus was moving at 69 kph at the time of the accident and the tractor 30 kph.

Ten seconds before the crash, the bus was moving at 73 kph and the tractor 48 kph, it said.

The coastal area from Quang Nam to Da Nang was foggy early on Tuesday morning and drivers could only see clearly within seven meters. The fog was still dense by 8:30 a.m.

The police are investigating the cause of the accident.