On the morning of 14/7, Van An commune officials confirmed that Son, originally from Vinh city, was found by rescue forces around 1 a.m. about 200 meters downstream from the accident site. His body was handed over to his family for burial.

Authorities recover the 5-seater car from the Dao river on the afternoon of 13/7. Photo: Hung Le

The accident occurred around 5 p.m. on 13/7. Tran Huu Ba, 37, was driving a 5-seater car carrying Son and Tran Van Trung, 35, on Highway 46 from Kim Lien commune towards Van An commune, in the former Nam Dan district.

Upon reaching Thien Duong bridge in Van An commune, the car collided with two motorcycles. One motorcycle was driven by a woman traveling in the same direction, while the other carried a family of four, including Dau Dinh Cong, 32, from Dai Hue commune, traveling in the opposite direction.

Cong died at the scene, while his wife and one child were injured. The car, carrying Cong's 9-year-old son, crashed through over 10 meters of the bridge railing and plunged into the Dao river.

The victims' motorcycles were mangled after the accident. Photo: Duc Hung

Ba and Trung were rescued by local residents who swam out to the car. Son, however, was missing.

Around 6 p.m., rescue workers pulled the car from the river. Four hours later, the body of the 9-year-old boy was found about 10 meters from the point of impact.

Dashcam footage from a vehicle traveling in the opposite direction shows the 5-seater car speeding, losing control, and colliding with the two motorcycles before plunging into the river amidst a cloud of dust. The bridge was busy with traffic at the time of the accident.

Thien Duong bridge, the site of the accident, is approximately 150 meters long and 40 meters wide with railings on both sides. There is a construction site near the area.

Duc Hung