Victim recounts the moment the car carrying nearly 40 people rolled down the cliff

Kon Tum While dozing off on the bus on his way home for Tet, Mr. Phan Sang suddenly fell over and lost consciousness, his arm and ribs broken from hitting the bed frame.

On February 4 (December 25), Mr. Sang, 57 years old, was being treated at the Dak Glei District Medical Center and was still dizzy and in pain due to multiple injuries after the bus accident last night. The car carrying him and 36 people while running on National Highway 14 in Dak Go village, Dak Kroong commune, Dak Glei district, plunged into a ravine more than 20 meters deep.

Victim recounts the moment the car carrying nearly 40 people rolled like a log down the cliff — The scene of the passenger bus plunging into the abyss. Photo: *Tran Hoa*

Mr. Sang said that a week ago, he went from Dak Lak to Hue to visit relatives. At 2:00 p.m. on February 3, he took a car back to Dak Lak. Along the way, the car picked up a number of passengers from Hue and Quang Ngai to Kon Tum and Dak Lak to celebrate Tet, including about 10 children. When the car reached Kon Tum province, it was dark and the road was winding on the mountain, so he took a nap on a bed in the back of the cabin because he was tired after a long journey. At nearly 10:00 p.m., he was awakened by a loud noise from the front of the car due to hitting the guardrail. Before he could react, he was spun around repeatedly.

His head and chest repeatedly hit the bed handle and the iron frame. He lost consciousness a few seconds later. When he opened his eyes, he saw his bag and broken glass pressing on him, while his body was stuck in the deformed car frame. Despite injuries all over his body, Mr. Sang still tried to crawl through the iron bars and escape through the car window. At this time, many people in the car were screaming for help, and children were crying.

"The car rolled down the cliff like a log," said Mr. Sang, adding that luckily there were many households living at the accident site. After about 10 minutes, they ran down to the bottom of the cliff, shining flashlights to help some trapped people out. He himself had broken bones and could not stand up, so many people carried him up and placed him on the side of the road waiting for an ambulance .

National Highway 14 is 980 km long and is the main artery connecting the Central Highlands with the Central and Southeastern provinces. The road has many steep, winding and dangerous sections, especially the Lo Xo Pass which is over 30 km long. Serious accidents often occur, so since 2017, some people living here have established the Lo Xo Pass SOS team to rescue traffic accidents in the area.

Mr. Ngo Quang Quyet (in yellow shirt) and members of the SOS team at Lo Xo Pass prepare first aid equipment before arriving at the accident scene. Photo: Minh Bang — Mr. Ngo Quang Quyet (in yellow shirt) and members of the SOS team at Lo Xo Pass prepare first aid equipment before arriving at the accident scene. Photo: *Minh Bang*

Nearly 15 km from the accident site, Mr. Ngo Quang Quyet and 5 members of the Lo Xo Pass rescue team arrived at the scene to rescue the victims. When they arrived, they saw a deformed car, with broken windows and windshields. The bed frame was warped, and many broken iron bars had hit the people sitting in the car. The front axles were severed. The outside of the car had many large, long scratches from rubbing against rocks and dirt. Before that, local people had brought more than 20 people out. They sat around screaming from pain and blood loss.

At this time, the SOS team and the traffic police continued to shine flashlights, crawling into the car to find the trapped people and bring them out. Many people also spread out and went down to look for people who might have been thrown out. The search ended near dawn. According to Mr. Quyet, the section of the abyss where the accident occurred had large bushes growing on many sand dunes, creating obstacles to prevent the passenger bus from rolling too deep. The sleeper bus had many foam mattresses and soft blankets to help reduce the impact on the people on the bus.

A family with injured children were taken to Dak Glei District Medical Center for treatment. Photo: Minh Bang — A family with injured children were taken to Dak Glei District Medical Center for treatment. Photo: *Minh Bang*

Dak Glei District Medical Center, located more than 15 km away, dispatched 4 ambulances, along with 15 nurses and caregivers to the scene to help bring 21 people (aged 3-57) for treatment. Doctor Y Vu, Deputy Director of Dak Glei District Medical Center, said that at that time, most of the victims were conscious but in a state of panic. Many people suffered abrasions, muscle bruises, and broken arms and legs. The three seriously injured cases were transferred to higher-level hospitals.

According to the report of the Traffic Police Department of Kon Tum province, the car involved in the accident belonged to Ngoc Gai bus company, driven by Phan Nhat, 34 years old. The accident was determined to be due to the driver's lack of observation and inability to control the speed when approaching the "elbow" curve in Dak Glei district. After testing, the driver had no alcohol in his breath and tested negative for drugs. The passenger bus was manufactured in 2012 and has a registration period until April 2024.