Ha Noi authorities have suspended work at Nhon - Ha Noi Station metro project, pending an investigation into two accidents that occurred at construction sites.

A crane fell on two buildings and two houses near the work site. 

A crane at the Nhon - Ha Noi station site fell onto two buildings and two houses in Ha Noi's Cau Giay Street yesterday. Officials said a 26-year-old motorbike driver and a pregnant woman were injured and transported to a local hospital for treatment.

The accident occurred at the Package No 1 work site operated by South Korean contractor Daelim. Le Huy Hoang, deputy director of the Ha Noi Urban Railway Management Unit, said the construction work has been free of accidents since the project began one year ago.

Meetings with the contractor will be held so officials might receive a detailed report about the accident, Hoang said.

Two days earlier, steel sheeting weighing 680kg fell from a crane as it was being hoisted into the air at the Station Four site. No one was injured during that incident.

The urban railway construction is part of the Ha Noi urban sky train project, which will operate overhead for 8.5km and underground for an additional 4km.

The Nhon - Ha Noi Station is expected to be completed by 2018 and begin operating in 2019. 

Concerns grow over accidents at Hanoi urban rail projects

A number of accidents have occurred at urban railway projects in Hanoi recently, causing concern among the public about safety when passing through construction areas.

On May 12, a half-tonne steel girder fell from a crane at the Cat Linh-Ha Dong urban railway project, crushing a Honda Civic. No one was injured.

On November 6, 2014, a crane dropped a steel rod at same project, killing motor bike rider Nguyen Nhu Ngoc, 33. Three others were injured.

Also on May 12, a crane at the Nhon-Hanoi station urban railway project fell onto two buildings and two houses in Hanoi's Cau Giay Street, injuring a 26-year-old motorbike driver and a pregnant woman.

Two days earlier, steel sheeting weighing 680kg fell from a crane as it was being hoisted at Station Four of the Nhon-Hanoi urban railway, with one injury.

Hanoi authorities have suspended work at Nhon-Hanoi project pending the outcome of an investigation.

Nguyen Anh Tho, Deputy Head of the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs’ Safety Department, told DTiNews the accidents on Cat Linh-Ha Dong was apparently due to violations in the use of lifting equipment and poor safety management.

He said labour inspectors detected nearly 10,000 violations at construction sites, collecting fines of hundreds of billions of VND.

On May 5, a 32-year-old woman and her two children died a crane collapsed on them at an unfenced construction site in the southern province of Dong Thap.

VNS