A 30-seater coach which was carrying South Korean visitors in the south-central coastal province of Binh Thuan turned upside down this afternoon, March 9, leaving the Vietnamese driver dead and five travelers severely injured.

A local driver is dead and five South Koreans injured when the coach goes off a slopy road and turns over 

The accident took place at around 12:45 when the coach was heading for Mui Ne, a well-known beach area in the province’s Phan Thiet City, reported Tuoi Tre Online newspaper.

While passing the slope of a hill locally known as Lau Ong Hoang in Phu Hai Ward, the driver lost control of the vehicle which suddenly plunged about nearly 10 meters down.

The accident killed the 58-year-old driver cum tour guide, Nguyen Minh Tam, who resided in the province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau, and severely injured five Korean tourists aged five to 36.

Police are investigating the accident.

Last month, a serious collision between a passenger coach and a container truck on a route leading to Hai Van Pass Tunnel, which links the central coastal city of Danang with the neighboring Thua Thien-Hue, injured 11 people, mostly South Korean tourists.

Road crashes are a leading cause of deaths in Vietnam, killing almost one person every hour. A total of more than 18,720 traffic accidents occurred in 2018, killing 8,244 people and injuring nearly 14,800, according to the National Traffic Safety Committee.

SGT