A 33-year-old truck driver, Tran Thien Liem, died on 17/4 when a landslide buried his vehicle at a soil mine in Hoa Hoi commune, Phu Cat district, Binh Dinh province. The incident occurred around 12h as Liem, from Tay Son commune, was waiting for an excavator to load material for the Phu Cat airport's second runway project. A large mass of soil from a height of tens of meters suddenly collapsed, crushing the truck's cabin.

The accident scene. Photo: Ngoc Oanh

Nearby workers immediately began excavation efforts to rescue the driver. However, when rescuers reached the cabin, Liem was found deceased. The front of the truck was completely deformed.

The accident scene revealed a deep excavation area with vertical walls rising tens of meters high, suggesting unstable conditions.

The truck's front end deformed after being buried by soil and rocks. Photo: Ngoc Oanh

According to local authorities, the soil mine where the incident occurred is managed and operated by a private enterprise. It supplies material for the Phu Cat airport's second runway project, located about 25 km away, which requires approximately 5 million cubic meters of backfill material. The mine sees high activity, with around 300 to 350 truck trips daily.

Tran Hoa