The driver of the southbound truck lost control before slamming into another truck carrying construction materials from the opposite direction, according to eyewitnesses.
The breaks on the southbound truck had broken after passing through the tunnel, which lies between Thua Thien Hue Province and the city of Da Nang, local police said Monday. The accident occurred 3.7 kilometers from the tunnel.
Phan Duc Hanh, 39, from Ho Chi Minh City was driving the southbound truck alongside driver’s assistant Doan Quang Hao, 25, from the northern Thai Binh Province.
Nguyen Van Do, 28, from the northern coastal Quang Ninh Province, was driving with his assistant Nguyen Huu Thanh in the other truck.
Do was killed on the spot while Hanh and Thanh on the way to hospital. Hao had jumped out of the truck before the collision but still suffered serious injuries.
The accident happened while officials from the Hai Van Tunnel Management Co. were passing by and they used fire extinguishers to put out the fire caused by the collision.
A motorbike helmet was found at the scene but the police had yet to find any motorbike.
One of the two trucks was carrying stacks of VND500,000 (US$28) notes, which spilled out over the highway. Residents gathering to pick them up blocked traffic.
Reported by Vu Phuong Thao |
E-mail to a friend 
Print version
To top
