Bus Carrying 10 People Catches Fire on National Highway in Dak Lak, Cause Under Investigation

Around 4:50 PM on July 30, a sleeper bus unexpectedly caught fire on National Highway 14, near Ea Hleo commune in Dak Lak province, Vietnam. The bus, operated by Danh Mui company, was traveling from Buon Ma Thuot city to Hue city with 7 passengers and 3 crew members (1 driver, 2 assistants). Driver Van Huu Thi, 52, noticed a burning smell and smoke emanating from the front of the vehicle near the passenger seat and immediately stopped to inspect. Passengers quickly evacuated the bus with their luggage. The driver and assistants attempted to extinguish the fire with mini fire extinguishers, but it spread rapidly, engulfing the front of the bus within 10 minutes and sending black smoke tens of meters into the sky. Firefighting and rescue teams arrived at the scene and completed their extinguishing efforts after approximately 20 minutes. There were no casualties in the fire, but the vehicle was completely destroyed, with its metal frame, seats, and sleeping berths burned down. Over a ton of durian stored in the luggage compartment was also partially damaged. The vehicle owner estimates the initial damage to be in the hundreds of millions of Vietnamese Dong (equivalent to tens of millions of Japanese Yen), and the vehicle was insured. Authorities are currently investigating the cause of the accident. With Vietnam's economic growth, the use of long-distance buses has increased, but accidents due to aging vehicles and insufficient maintenance are also a concern. This incident may prompt a review of the safety management systems for public transportation.