10 worst accidents in Vietnam in 2011

January 14th, 2012

This is not meant to be cheap sensationalism. Far from it, our heart is always saddened by the news of such tragedies. Here we simply wish to follow in the tradition of muckraking journalism, hoping to bring about social progress through the exposition of social maladies.

1) Cau Ghenh train crash (February 6)

Two people died on the spot and 26 others were injured when the S2 train heading for Hanoi smashed into six vehicles stuck on the railway track that runs along the Ghenh Bridge in Bien Hoa city near Ho Chi Minh City.

Passengers stuck in the traffic jam had to scramble out of their vehicles as the train moved forward while others screamed and ran away, creating a massive stampede.
This is the worst railway accident ever in Bien Hoa – the capital town of Dong Nai province, local police said.

Prosecuting authorities indicted seven in connection with the train crash.

2) Ha Long Bay boat disaster (February 17)

12 tourists died from 9 nations died after a tourist boat sank in Vietnam’s picturesque Ha Long Bay.

There were 26 people aboard the ship at the time including one captain, four crew members, one tour guide, and 20 foreign tourists.

According to initial sources, a wooden board in the engine room became cracked, letting sea water in, causing the boat to capsize.

Colonel Vu Chi Thuc, director of Quang Ninh police said initial examination showed that 27-year-old Do Van Thang, a crew member in charge of engine, forgot to close the valves that allowed water in to cool the engine on both sides of the boat.

With the engine turned off, a pump on board the boat could not be activated to push the water out.

When the main pipe was broken, water flooded into the compartments one by one, inundating and sinking the ship.

Thang was later arrested along with his superior – captain Nguyen Van Minh, 22. Both were charged with “irresponsibility causing serious consequences.”

According to investigation findings, the captain and other crew members skipped their night patrol. When they discovered water was flooding in, it was too late.

3) Terrible train crash in Hanoi (March 30)

A train crash at a crossing in Hanoi’s Thuong Tin district killed 9 passengers on a 16-seat Toyota and injured six others in late March.

Witnesses said the driver intentionally crossed the red light when the Ho Chi Minh City – Hanoi train was fast approaching.

Local prosecutors charged the driver Nguyen The Hung for the crime of “traffic violation that causes serious damages.”

4) Tragic Len Co rockslide (April 1)

The quarry collapse in Len Co Mountain in Nghe An central province killed 18 workers, including 11 women, and seriously injured 6 others after they were buried under 1,000 cubic meters of rock.

At the time of the collapse, the company had 5 rock mining areas operational at the foot of the mountain.

The tragedy might have been caused by the technical faults of the company’s exploitation team that weakened the structure of the mine, according to investigators.

5) Din Ky tour boat disaster (May 20)

Among 32 guests attending a child birthday party on Din Ky double-decker tour ship, 16 people, including five children, drowned after the ship capsized amid strong winds on Saigon River.

Two Chinese tourists were among the perished.

Not a victim was saved although 100 policemen and rescuers were immediately sent to the scene.

The party was thrown aboard the boat by Quach Luong Tai, a businessman, to celebrate the birthday of his 3-year-old son Quach Hong Dat.

The father managed to survive, but his six family members — including his wife, two children, two of his brothers, and his mother-in-law — all lost their lives in the accident.

6) Deadly accident on Trung Luong expressway (June 13)

Eight people died and 10 others were injured in a horrific accident on the high-speed Trung Luong Expressway in Long An Province when a van slammed into a truck from behind.

According to investigators, the truck, which had been heading for Ho Chi Minh City from Ca Mau southern province, lost control after suddenly having a flat tire.

It veered to the left and that proved fatal on a highway where vehicles are allowed to travel at 120 kilometers per hour. A 16-seat passenger van that was coming from behind could not avoid the truck and crashed into it. The accident happened when all passengers in the van were sleeping.

7) Doctor caused deadly crash (October 7)

Doctor Tran Anh Huy of Nhi Dong Pediatrics Hospital No. 1 caused a horrific car crash that killed two and seriously injured dozens when his car hit 12 motorbikes stopped at a traffic light on Ho Chi Minh City’s Ly Thai To Street in District 10 from behind.

Huy confessed to the police that he had mistakenly slammed on the accelerator pedal instead of the brake after his car collided with two motorbikes and thus crashed into several other motorbikes waiting for the green light.

As a result, Huy has been charged with violating road rules, causing serious consequences.

Two children killed in Hanoi house collapse (November 3)

Two children died after the second story of a two-storied house in alley No. 22, Ta Quang Buu Street in Hai Ba Trung District of Hanoi crashed to the ground following the explosion of a cooking-gas cylinder at dawn.

Rescuers first found seven-year-old Tran Duy Anh under the debris with severe injuries and then his 14-year-old sister Tran Thi Ngoc Tram. Neither could survive their injuries after being taken to the hospital.

Their father Tran Nhat Minh and mother Nguyen Thi Thu Ngan were earlier pulled out with injuries.

According to investigators, Minh had tried to boil water when the cooking-gas cylinder unexpectedly exploded, causing the second floor of the house to collapse entirely.

9) 10 burnt to death in Binh Thuan road accident (November 7)

Just a month earlier, a container truck traveling southward from Khanh Hoa Central Province crashed into a bus on the opposite lane before hitting another bus from behind on the same lane. As a result, the truck caught fire, killing 10 people stuck inside the bus and injuring 25 others.

10) Truck accident in Nghe An (December 07)

A truck filled with wood products overturned when it was halfway down Pu Uot Mountain in Binh Chuan Commune, Con Cuong District of Nghe An central province, claiming 10 lives and injuring 4, who were crushed under the massive weight of 12 cubic meters of wood.

Shamefully, two officials and one forester were then arrested for their involvement in smuggling the wood products on the truck.

source form: tuoitrenews