Overview
- A 24-seat interprovincial bus traveling from Lam Dong to Ho Chi Minh City struck an embankment at about 2 a.m. early Tuesday, then caught fire, leaving seven dead and five injured.
- Dong Nai firefighting teams brought the blaze under control in roughly 30 minutes and recovered seven bodies from the charred vehicle while the injured were taken to Thong Nhat General Hospital.
- Police said the driver tested negative for alcohol and drugs and has told investigators he was drowsy and distracted before the crash.
- Survivors described a chaotic evacuation with flames erupting from a middle door, front-seat passengers escaping more easily, and some people forced to jump from the bus.
- Officials are probing the sequence of impact, rapid fire spread and any mechanical or safety failures to establish how the collision triggered a life-threatening cabin blaze and prevented rear passengers from escaping.