Around 2 PM, a crane truck from Ha Tinh, traveling at the intersection of Ho Chi Minh Road and DH94, struck a concrete archway over 4 meters high in Huong Phong hamlet, Huong Khe commune (formerly part of Huong Khe district), causing the structure to collapse onto the road.

At that moment, Nguyen Duc Thang, a third-grade student, who was being carried by his mother, Le Thi Giang, on a motorbike, was crushed by the falling archway, which severed one of his arms.

The crane driver had to operate the vehicle to lift the collapsed archway, allowing authorities to access and transport the victim to Ha Tinh Provincial General Hospital for emergency treatment. Fortunately, the mother escaped unharmed.

The scene of the incident. Photo: Hung Le

At the scene, the archway, consisting of two large concrete pillars and the horizontal frame above, had collapsed, with many shattered brick fragments scattered across the road. A motorbike, severely damaged, was pinned under a pillar amidst the debris.

The archway was located on DH94 road, which leads into the former Huong Xuan commune. This road section is over 6 meters wide, flanked by residential homes.

The crane truck belongs to a transport enterprise operating in Huong Khe commune. According to commune leaders, the vehicle was not permitted to travel through the village archway area.

The victim, born in 2018, resides in Phu Gia hamlet and is a third-grade student at Huong Khe Primary School.

The incident remains under investigation.