Travel on the north-south railway line was interrupted for almost 20 hours on March 11 after a train hit a lorry in central Quang Tri province on March 10 evening.

An SE5 train coming from Hanoi slammed into a lorry truck at an intersection in Hai Thuong commune in the province's Hai Lang district.

The collision wrecked the truck, distorted the train and derailed three cars. It slowed train travel near the site and created congestion on National Highway 1A.

The train driver died at the scene. The truck driver and three train crewmen with severe injuries were taken to a hospital in the adjacent Thua Thien - Hue province.

According to Tran Nhat Trung, director of the Vietnam Centre for Incident Tackle and Rescue, a total of 500 staff members were deployed to assist with the aftermath.

During the rescue process yesterday morning, a crane collapsed and caused more turmoil at the scene, though no additional fatalities were reported.

The incident caused delays for the following trains: SE5, SE20, SE8, TN1, TN3 and TN5; and cargo transporters 444T1, 348T1, RASY2T1, HBN2T1, 446T1, SBN1T1, RASY1T1 and HBN1T1.

Operation of the DDH41 and DDH42 was cancelled as well.

Quang Tri Railway Station gave the train's 600 passengers a place to stay on March 10 night. Nguyen Van Phu, head of the station, said the passengers were transferred by bus to an adjacent station to continue their journey to HCM City.

Local police are investigating the accident. Witnesses said the truck ran a red light and drove into the train's path.