Authorities are facing significant challenges in identifying the driver of a material-transporting vehicle responsible for a rockfall that struck a tour bus, killing a Russian tourist on Dai Ninh Pass, National Highway 28B. Phan Son commune leaders confirmed on the evening of december 9 that the individual operating the vehicle has not yet been identified.
The incident occurred the previous morning when a 16-seat tour bus, carrying eleven Russian tourists from Phan Thiet to Da Lat, was traversing Dai Ninh Pass. A rock, dislodged from a material-transporting vehicle traveling ahead, penetrated the upper left corner of the bus's front windshield, striking passengers seated behind the driver. Two tourists sustained serious head injuries.
Driver Tran Cao Minh Tri, 56, from Phan Thiet and the only Vietnamese person on board, immediately turned back towards Bac Binh to transport the victims to Bac Binh Thuan Regional General Hospital. Tragically, a 57-year-old female tourist died en route. The other male tourist received first aid before being transferred to Binh Thuan General Hospital in Phan Thiet for ongoing treatment.
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The affected vehicle with the hole caused by the fallen rock on its front windshield. Photo: Tu Huynh |
The management unit for the National Highway 28B upgrade project also confirmed that the vehicle involved in the accident has not been found. The construction team provided a list of six vehicles operating in the area with similar routes that morning, but all drivers denied any involvement. Police have not yet identified which vehicle caused the rockfall.
A representative from the project management board stated that it is not yet possible to confirm if the accident-causing vehicle belonged to the construction group. This section of the road is frequently used by many other vehicles transporting materials to Duc Trong and down to Phan Son. The unit is cooperating with investigators to clarify the situation.
Upon receiving the report, the head of the Phan Son commune police, along with five officers, conducted a search along the route. However, no traces were found as the vehicles had already departed the area. Commune police subsequently questioned drivers of material-transporting vehicles involved in the National Highway 28B construction and attempted to extract camera footage along the route, but no useful data was obtained.
Further complicating the investigation, the tour bus carrying the group of tourists was not equipped with a dashcam.
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Construction vehicles on Dai Ninh Pass, part of the National Highway 28B upgrade project, in march. Photo: Viet Quoc |
An engineer at the construction site noted that the fallen rock, less than 20 cm in diameter, was not large. However, the strong penetrating force that resulted in a fatality suggests that the relative speed between the two vehicles at the time of the accident was likely very high.
Tu Huynh
