A passenger was killed instantly and 23 others were injured on Sunday when a Lao bus and a Vietnamese truck collided head on along Road No. 13 South in Pakxan district, Borikhamxay province.
A district Traffic Police official told Vientiane Times the accident happened at about 14:15pm and that both vehicles were travelling at high speed.
Initial police reports state that the bus driver, Mr Phanthong, 52, of Phonthong village in Xaysettha district, Vientiane, was carrying 31 passengers from Pakxe district, Champassak province, to Vientiane when the bus hit the truck coming in the opposite direction.
One passenger, Mr Souksavanh, 26 of Phoummachedy village in Xayphouthong district, Savannakhet province, was killed instantly. Nineteen other passengers were slightly injured and four were seriously hurt.
Police are investigating the incident. They said it was the second head-on collision on this road in the past year. In the first incident, a pick- up truck and a fuel tanker hit each other in Hangsing village, Pakxan district, with both drivers sustaining serious injuries.
The pick-up was driving at high speed from Thaphabath district to Pakxan district while the fuel tanker was on its way to Vientiane.
Traffic police warn road users to pay attention when driving long distances and to obey speed limits.
Those driving to the south need to be extra careful because many people using this road tend to drive at dangerous speeds.
In the rainy season driving is even more hazardous and it’s also common to see cattle on the road, so even more care is required. The Traffic Police Department of the Ministry of Public Security reported that 3,173 road accidents occurred around the country from November 2015 to April 2016, killing 585 people.
Vientiane topped the list with 614 accidents that killed 145 people, while Savannakhet was second with 466 accidents and 59 fatalities. Champassak was in third place with 400 accidents that killed 71 people.
Source: Vientiane Times
