11 dead in Vietnam bus crash

HANOI: A truck driving in the wrong direction on a one-way road smashed into a bus in Vietnam's central highlands on Sunday killing at least 11 people, state media said.



The accident in Gia Lai province occurred in the early hours of Sunday morning, also injuring 23 passengers, according to state-controlled Vietnam News Agency. The truck was believed to have hit the bus head-on.

The bus was carrying 36 passengers, state media said. The coach driver was among the dead, the report added. It is not known whether the truck driver survived.



"The victims were trapped inside the coach. The authorities and local residents had to break the bus door to rescue them and take them to hospital," online newspaper VnExpress quoted Pham Van Uan, head of Gia Lai province's traffic police, as saying.

Road accidents are common in Vietnam, with nearly 9000 people killed last year. Narrow highways, poorly maintained vehicles and drivers' disregard for road safety and traffic rules are blamed for most fatalities.