A police car in Can Tho in the Mekong Delta hit and killed three men Thursday morning while it was carrying two wanted criminals to jail.
A police statement said the car crashed into a motorbike carrying two men, Nguyen Thanh Dien, 20, and Nguyen Truong Em, 22, before it hit Nguyen Huu Tai, a 46-year-old street cleaner working along the sidewalk.
Tai and Dien died at the scene while Em died on his way to hospital.
Police said the motorbike was driving “carelessly” ahead of the police car.
Forensic examinations on Thursday afternoon found a large amount of alcohol in the two young men’s blood, exceeding the permitted level, Can Tho City police chief Tran Ngoc Hanh told Thanh Nien.
Hanh said the city police are investigating the case, adding that his department offered VND10 million as financial assistance to each family of the victims.
Police cars transporting criminals can sometimes be seen driving at high speed in Vietnam, where there are no priority lanes.