Bui Thi Huyen, 53, from Phu Binh commune, Thai Nguyen province, winced in pain from a broken rib at Thuong Tin General Hospital. Over five hours after the accident, she remained shaken.

Taking advantage of a break, Huyen's group, consisting of eight families from Phu Binh commune, rented a sleeper bus for a trip to Thien Cam beach, Ha Tinh. The driver was 43-year-old Nguyen Van Binh, also from their locality.

After two enjoyable days and nights at the beach, the group planned to return to Thai Nguyen on the morning of 17/7. However, their plans changed when a neighbor back home passed away. At 18h on 16/7, everyone packed their luggage and boarded the bus to make it back in time for the wake.

On the way back, everyone chatted happily. The two-story sleeper bus, full of passengers, traveled on the North-South expressway from Ha Tinh towards Hanoi. Huyen lay on the first floor near the front of the bus, while her husband was on the opposite side on the second floor.

Huyen at Thuong Tin General Hospital. *Photo: Viet An*

After a stop in Thanh Hoa, around 20h, the bus resumed its journey. Huyen, like most passengers, was asleep. At 0h20, while traveling on the Phap Van - Cau Gie expressway, through Chuong Duong commune, the bus suddenly swerved, crashed into a guardrail with a loud bang, and then overturned on the service road.

Huyen was thrown from her bunk, landing on the floor, her entire body aching. "I looked around and only saw people piled on top of each other, many screaming", she recounted. She saw her husband covered in blood, his arm trapped, but she could do nothing as her chest and abdomen became increasingly painful, causing her to lose consciousness.

About 30 minutes after the accident, Huyen regained consciousness. She crawled out through a ventilation opening on the bus roof, hearing the driver calling to report the accident.

Also on the bus, Ngo Thi Phuc, 28, said she only realized an accident occurred when the bus skidded. From her bunk near the driver, she was thrown to the opposite side when the bus overturned.

With the lights off for passengers to sleep, the bus was dark. Phuc could not see anyone clearly, only hearing a man's voice cry out: "Save my child!". Groping among displaced seats and belongings, it took her 10 minutes to escape through a ventilation opening. Over 10 people subsequently exited through the same way.

The accident scene on the morning of 17/7. *Photo: Dinh Dinh*

At the scene, the damaged sleeper bus lay on the service road, over two meters from the expressway. A section of the expressway guardrail and barrier was bent. Due to obstructed visibility, passersby did not quickly spot the bus or the victims.

A representative from Firefighting and Rescue Team Area No. 32, Hanoi City Police, stated that upon arrival, about 8 people remained trapped inside the bus. Police used a crane to lift the vehicle for access. Rescue operations were completed around 3h30.

The accident resulted in four fatalities: three died at the scene, and one died at the hospital. Additionally, 28 injured individuals received emergency care at Nong Nghiep Hospital, Thuong Tin General Hospital, and Viet Duc Friendship Hospital. Thuong Tin General Hospital alone admitted 14 people. On the same morning, many victims requested discharge or transfer for further treatment.

Viet An