One killed by train at barrierless crossing

The tragedy on Monday is nothing new at this particular An Duong District rail crossing, where no rising and falling barrier or gate has been installed to prevent cars from driving on the tracks while trains are passing.

At 11:54 a.m., Tran Nhu Dong, 38, from Nam Sach District, Hai Duong Province, was driving four other people from a residential area in Le Thien Commune, An Duong District to National Highway 5. He drove up a highway onramp that crosses the railroad tracks in question.

At the same moment, passenger train LP3 was traveling those same tracks from Hanoi to Hai Phong and smashed the vehicle into a nearby rice field.

The car was hit by the train and flew into a rice field. Dong and all four passengers were all injured and rushed to the hospital. Le Thi Hoa, 69, from Hai Duong, succumbed to her injuries on the way.

An Duong District police are investigating the accident.

According to the railway traffic police team of the Hai Phong Traffic Police Department, the entrance from Le Thien Commune to National Highway 5 is a hotspot for accidents because many vehicles pass through every day but no automatic barrier has been installed.

Instead, an elderly man with weak legs who walks slowly and with a cane is the only crossing guard in charge of the intersection, which also happens to be at a major highway entrance.

In May-June, there were a number of train collisions with motorbikes at the same entrance, killing two people.