Hanoi, Nov 17, (dpa/GNA) – A tour bus in central Vietnam, was swept up by a landslide and buried under earth and rocks, killing six people and injuring 19 others, the national traffic safety authority said.
The accident occurred late on Sunday on the Khanh Le Pass, a mountainous road connecting the tourist cities of Nha Trang and Da Lat. Many passengers were trapped beneath the wreckage.
According to the newspaper VnExpress, 32 people were on board the bus, including two drivers.
The injured are being treated in hospital, Le Kim Thanh, deputy head of the authority, told dpa. “This was a natural disaster, rocks and earth suddenly collapsed onto the bus,” he said.
A very large boulder struck the vehicle directly, severely deforming the front section.
Firefighters and police deployed two ambulances and around 20 personnel, but were only able to reach the site after midnight because additional landslides had made the road impassable.
The region has experienced days of heavy rainfall, leaving soil saturated and unstable.
Earlier this month, torrential rains triggered severe flooding across central Vietnam, killing dozens of people.
The historic cities of Hue and Hoi An, both UNESCO World Heritage sites and major tourist destinations, were among the worst affected.
GNA