Two consecutive accidents, Trung Luong highway congested for more than 5 km

Two consecutive accidents 2 km apart on the Ho Chi Minh City - Trung Luong Expressway caused traffic congestion on the road from Ho Chi Minh City to the West for more than two hours on the afternoon of January 20.

At around 1 p.m., a 29-seat sleeper bus traveling on the Ho Chi Minh City - Trung Luong highway, heading to the West, when approaching the Chau Thanh ( Long An ) rest stop, suddenly hit a truck in front. A tractor trailer rushed from behind, creating a chain of accidents. The strong impact damaged the front of the sleeper bus, many windows were shattered. The truck was lying across the road.

Accident scene between a 5-seat car and two container trucks. Photo: Gia Kiet — Accident scene between a 5-seat car and two container trucks. Photo: *Gia Kiet*

At the same time, a 5-seat car also collided with two tractor-trailers about two kilometers away. The accident caused the car to be sandwiched between two container trucks, damaging the front and rear and the hood.

Two consecutive accidents caused a traffic jam of more than 5 km on the Ho Chi Minh City - Trung Luong Expressway, from the National Highway 1 intersection to the Chau Thanh toll station. Traffic police then arrived to take stock of the scene, and at the same time, diverted traffic and moved the vehicles involved in the accident.

Ho Chi Minh City - Trung Luong Expressway is congested for a long time after two consecutive accidents. Photo: Hoang Nam — Ho Chi Minh City - Trung Luong Expressway is congested for a long time after two consecutive accidents. Photo: *Hoang Nam*

According to police, there were no casualties in the two accidents. Authorities have diverted traffic to Highway 1, from the intersection through Ben Luc district to reduce congestion.

The Ho Chi Minh City - Trung Luong Expressway is nearly 62 km long, has 4 lanes, and has been in operation since 2010, with a maximum speed of 100 km/h. In early 2019, the expressway stopped collecting tolls, and the number of vehicles then increased by over 30%, to 40,000-50,000 vehicles per day, causing the road surface to be overloaded and damaged.