Fatal accident kills
two on Ghenh Bridge

A train travelling from HCM city to Hanoi
hit several cars on Ghenh Bridge in Bien Hoa city near Ho
Chi Minh City (in the Southern province of Dong Nai)
at 8:30 pm on Feb 6, killing two people.

Train SE2 rammed into 6 cars in a row on the bridge, as a
result of negligence on the part of the bridge guards who failed to stop the
cars before the train entered the bridge.

Two people died on the spot and 26 others were injured.

Nguyen Van Luong, an officer in charge of the railway gate
at the bridge, told the Tuoi Tre reporter that authorities had informed the SE2
train of the traffic jam beforehand, but it still moved onwards. As a result,
the train crashed straight into the six cars that were stuck on the railway line
at that time.

As the train approached people scrambled to get out of their
vehicles while others screamed and ran, causing a massive stampede. It was not
until 9.30pm that traffic police succeeded in dispersing the jam.

According to local police, this is the worst railway
accident ever to occur in Bien Hoa - the capital town of Dong Nai province.

Somali pirates
release Vietnamese sailors

Three Vietnamese sailors working aboard a Taiwanese ship
that was seized by Somali pirates in May last year have been released along
with 25 other crew members after nine months in captivity.

Tran Van Tri, one of the three sailors of the FV Tai Yuan
227, called his family Monday, saying he and others were in stable condition.

He said the sailors were allowed to phone their families
three minutes after the release, and they were waiting for the captain to buy
air tickets to return home.

On May 6, 2010, the heavily-armed Somali pirates hijacked
the Taiwanese long-line fishing vessel approximately 700 nautical miles northeast
of the Seychelles, an island
country in the Indian Ocean.

The boat was carrying 28 crew members, including nine
Chinese, seven Kenyans, three Vietnamese, three Filipinos, and two Mozambicans.

In another incident, 24 Vietnamese sailors were held hostage
by Somali pirates on January 17 off Oman. They were working on the
22,835-ton bulk carrier MV Hoang Son Sun that is Mongolia-registered and
Vietnamese-owned.

City orders recall of
poor-quality medicines

One of the three products subject to withdrawalThe Ho Chi
Minh City Health Department has requested three city-based pharmaceutical
producers, including a Chinese-owned one, to withdraw their sub-standard
products from the market.

The first subject to withdrawal is O.P.CAN made in soft
capsules by OPC Pharmaceutical Joint-Stock Company. The medicine is a brain
tonic that help protects against haemorrhage and oedema.

The second is “Đại Bổ Thận Hoàn,” a kidney tonic in pills
produced by Dang Nguyen Duong Enterprise.

And the last is Kuai Wei in compressed capsules by China’s
QingDao Growful Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. The medicine is used to treat diseased
stomach and duodenum, and gastritis.

The Department also asked them to notify the order of the
recall to all of their distributors and sale agents.

Two have arm, hand amputated from firecracker use

Two men in the central Quang Binh Province had their arm and hand
amputated after suffering from severe injury when they illegally set off
firecrackers during Tet (lunar New Year) holidays.

Nguyen Ngoc Duong, 36, of Bo Trach District lost his right
arm and suffered from multiple injuries in his two legs after the firecrackers
exploded in his hands last Wednesday.

His life is no longer in danger after a surgery.

Meanwhile, Vu Duy Tinh, 32, of Quang Trach District was
admitted to hospital last Thursday with his left hand amputated and multiple
injuries on his face.

Tinh’s family said the man, who was mentally ill, set off
firecrackers on New Year’s Eve.

Firecrackers have been banned in Vietnam since 1995, but they can
occasionally be heard during festivals and weddings as they are said to dispel
evil spirits.

Despite the ban, there exists a big illegal market for the
festive explosives.

Traffic accidents
kill 288 during Tet

373 traffic accidents occurred during Tet over February 2 –
7 (from the 30th day of the last lunar month to 5th day of the first lunar
month), which killed 288 and injured 359, according to local authorities.

Although the Year of the Cat’s traffic accidents and the
injury toll took a downward turn compared to the Year of the Tiger’s (last
Tet), the number of crash fatalities reportedly increased.

There were 7 railway accidents killing 6. The most serious
case happened when a train heading for Hanoi
crashed into six cars that were stuck on a railroad track on the Ghenh Bridge
in Bien Hoa City,
claiming two lives and injuring 26 on February 7.

The number of traffic accidents in big cities like Hanoi and HCMC was down
and no illegal motorcycle street racing was reported.

Drunk drivers caused most of the traffic accidents,
according to local authorities.

From January 31 to February 6, more than 50 hospitals and
medical stations in Ho Chi Minh City
received 1,699 traffic accidents, 17 pct more than last year with the toll of
crash fatalities up 6 cases, according to the city’s Health Department.

Vam Cong ferry
station clogged with vehicles

A big traffic jam occurred at the Vam Cong ferry station
across the Hau River in An Giang southern province as a long line of vehicles
were stuck for many hours this morning from the National Highway 91 to Cai San
Bridge near Can Tho city.

This year’s number of vehicles traveling through the ferry
station increased 20 pct compared to the same period last year, said Nguyen Van
Trang, chief supervisor of the station.

The congestion came about as people from across the
country’s southern region flocked through the station to return to Ho Chi Minh City to
resume work from provinces of An Giang and Kien Giang.

To handle the gridlock, the organizing board mobilized three
more ferries with loading capacity of 100 – 200 tons each.

In other news, in Binh Dinh central province, the Binh Dinh
Transportation Joint-Stock Company has mobilized all available buses in the
province to meet growing demand during Tet holidays, aimed at avoiding traffic
jams.

According to initial statistics, although the price of
tickets has gone up to 100 pct, the number of buses traveling on the Quy Nhon –
Ho Chi Minh City
route increased fourfold year-on-year.

Currently, all train tickets (160 tickets per day) for the
Dieu Tri-HCMC route on February 7 – 28 have been sold out.

The Dieu Tri train station in Binh Dinh has suggested local
authorities deploy two more carriages and one train to meet demand.

7 detained as train
hits 6 cars stuck on tracks

The driver and assistant driver of a train which yesterday
fatally crashed into six cars stuck on a railway track in Bien Hoa city have
been detained along with five officers in charge of guarding the railway gate
at the scene.

Two people died on the spot and 26 others were injured when
the S2 train heading for Hanoi smashed into the
vehicles on the Ghenh Bridge in Bien Hoa city near Ho Chi Minh City at 8pm.

Pham Van Binh, head of Vietnam Railways’ traffic safety
department, said police are investigating why the train continued to move onto
the bridge full of cars and motorbikes.

Passengers stuck in the traffic jam started to scramble out
of their vehicles as the train moved forward while others screamed and ran
away, creating a massive stampede.

According to Binh,
Vietnam is the
only country in the world allowing train, cars and motorbikes to travel
together on the same section of road.

Nguyen Xuan Hoa, director of the Saigon Railway Management
Company said that in principle, when a train is about to approach a railway
crossing, officers in charge must lower the barrier gates to ensure no vehicles
encroach onto the railway tracks.

“This is a very rare case when both train and cars travel
together”, Hoa added.

The officers in charge of railway crossings told police they
had informed the train of the traffic jam at the bridge beforehand.

However, the train’s driver and assistant driver denied
receiving any warnings. They said they even got signals allowing the train to
move forward.

The 14-compartment train weighing roughly 600 tons could
only stop when it is 300 meters away from an object, they said.

According to local police, this is the worst railway
accident ever in Bien Hoa - the capital town of Dong Nai province.

Meanwhile, the two perished victims have been identified as
Tran Ngoc Khai, 49 and his son Tran Ngoc Tuan, 20 who were crossing the bridge
on the 60N-6520 car, probably on a Tet trip.

Vam Cong ferry
station clogged with vehicles

A big traffic jam occurred at the Vam Cong ferry station
across the Hau River in An Giang southern province as a long line of vehicles
were stuck for many hours this morning from the National Highway 91 to Cai San
Bridge near Can Tho city.

This year’s number of vehicles traveling through the ferry
station increased 20 pct compared to the same period last year, said Nguyen Van
Trang, chief supervisor of the station.

The congestion came about as people from across the
country’s southern region flocked through the station to return to Ho Chi Minh City to resume
work from provinces of An Giang and Kien Giang.

To handle the gridlock, the organizing board mobilized three
more ferries with loading capacity of 100 – 200 tons each.

In other news, in Binh Dinh central province, the Binh Dinh
Transportation Joint-Stock Company has mobilized all available buses in the
province to meet growing demand during Tet holidays, aimed at avoiding traffic
jams.

According to initial statistics, although the price of
tickets has gone up to 100 pct, the number of buses traveling on the Quy Nhon –
Ho Chi Minh City
route increased fourfold year-on-year.

Currently, all train tickets (160 tickets per day) for the
Dieu Tri-HCMC route on February 7 – 28 have been sold out.

The Dieu Tri train station in Binh Dinh has suggested local
authorities deploy two more carriages and one train to meet demand.

9 dead from Tet
alcohol and lack of oxygen

The room where they were found deadNine young people were
found dead in a house shut tight in the northern city of Hai Phong Sunday afternoon, apparently from
carbon monoxide poisoning.

Pham Van Thuc, returning after a trip during Tet, found his
28-year-old son and eight others, including two young women, lying dead on the
floor of the house on Nguyen Van
Hoi Street, Hai An District.

Examining the scene, the police said they found no sign of a
murder or robbery, since all the victims were lying in their normal positions
and all properties were intact.

Some empty bottles of liquor were scattered on a table, said
police.

Local police said they died of carbon monoxide poisoning.

A police officer says a car was driven into the house after
the power went out.

Its headlights and stereo were turned on inside the house,
which had all windows and doors closed.

The victims danced after loud music in euphoric states at
around 1 or 2 am Sunday.

Most of the victims were in their twenties and were
pronounced dead on arrival at the city-based Viet-Tiep Hospital.

On the night before the young people gathered in the house
and loud music was heard outside,
according to neighbors.

Drunken man stabs
wife to near death

A woman in the central province of Quang Binh
was rushed to hospital early morning Sunday after receiving fatal stabs from
her drunken husband.

Cao T.N, 19, said in hospital she was sleeping with her
child when her husband came home in a drunken state at 2AM Sunday and stabbed
her in the neck, chest, back and hand.

Doctor Dinh Viet Anh, Deputy Head of Minh Hoa General Hospital
where the woman was treated said upon hospitalization, she suffered from shock
for loss of blood from 8 stab wounds.

Her lung which was punctured from a back stab needs being
sewed up, the doctor said.

After a 3-hour surgery, N. was out of her most critical
condition.

The couple’s family said they will not seek legal actions.

A train travelling from HCM city to Hanoi hit several cars on Ghenh Bridge in Bien Hoa city near Ho Chi Minh City (in the Southern province of Dong Nai) at 8:30 pm on Feb 6, killing two people.

Train SE2 rammed into 6 cars in a row on the bridge, as a result of negligence on the part of the bridge guards who failed to stop the cars before the train entered the bridge.

Two people died on the spot and 26 others were injured.

Nguyen Van Luong, an officer in charge of the railway gate at the bridge, told the Tuoi Tre reporter that authorities had informed the SE2 train of the traffic jam beforehand, but it still moved onwards. As a result, the train crashed straight into the six cars that were stuck on the railway line at that time.

As the train approached people scrambled to get out of their vehicles while others screamed and ran, causing a massive stampede. It was not until 9.30pm that traffic police succeeded in dispersing the jam.

According to local police, this is the worst railway accident ever to occur in Bien Hoa - the capital town of Dong Nai province.

Somali pirates release Vietnamese sailors

Three Vietnamese sailors working aboard a Taiwanese ship that was seized by Somali pirates in May last year have been released along with 25 other crew members after nine months in captivity.

Tran Van Tri, one of the three sailors of the FV Tai Yuan 227, called his family Monday, saying he and others were in stable condition.

He said the sailors were allowed to phone their families three minutes after the release, and they were waiting for the captain to buy air tickets to return home.

On May 6, 2010, the heavily-armed Somali pirates hijacked the Taiwanese long-line fishing vessel approximately 700 nautical miles northeast of the Seychelles, an island country in the Indian Ocean.

The boat was carrying 28 crew members, including nine Chinese, seven Kenyans, three Vietnamese, three Filipinos, and two Mozambicans.

In another incident, 24 Vietnamese sailors were held hostage by Somali pirates on January 17 off Oman. They were working on the 22,835-ton bulk carrier MV Hoang Son Sun that is Mongolia-registered and Vietnamese-owned.

City orders recall of poor-quality medicines

One of the three products subject to withdrawalThe Ho Chi Minh City Health Department has requested three city-based pharmaceutical producers, including a Chinese-owned one, to withdraw their sub-standard products from the market.

The first subject to withdrawal is O.P.CAN made in soft capsules by OPC Pharmaceutical Joint-Stock Company. The medicine is a brain tonic that help protects against haemorrhage and oedema.

The second is “Đại Bổ Thận Hoàn,” a kidney tonic in pills produced by Dang Nguyen Duong Enterprise.

And the last is Kuai Wei in compressed capsules by China’s QingDao Growful Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. The medicine is used to treat diseased stomach and duodenum, and gastritis.

The Department also asked them to notify the order of the recall to all of their distributors and sale agents.

Two have arm, hand amputated from firecracker use

Two men in the central Quang Binh Province had their arm and hand amputated after suffering from severe injury when they illegally set off firecrackers during Tet (lunar New Year) holidays.

Nguyen Ngoc Duong, 36, of Bo Trach District lost his right arm and suffered from multiple injuries in his two legs after the firecrackers exploded in his hands last Wednesday.

His life is no longer in danger after a surgery.

Meanwhile, Vu Duy Tinh, 32, of Quang Trach District was admitted to hospital last Thursday with his left hand amputated and multiple injuries on his face.

Tinh’s family said the man, who was mentally ill, set off firecrackers on New Year’s Eve.

Firecrackers have been banned in Vietnam since 1995, but they can occasionally be heard during festivals and weddings as they are said to dispel evil spirits.

Despite the ban, there exists a big illegal market for the festive explosives.

Traffic accidents kill 288 during Tet

373 traffic accidents occurred during Tet over February 2 – 7 (from the 30th day of the last lunar month to 5th day of the first lunar month), which killed 288 and injured 359, according to local authorities.

Although the Year of the Cat’s traffic accidents and the injury toll took a downward turn compared to the Year of the Tiger’s (last Tet), the number of crash fatalities reportedly increased.

There were 7 railway accidents killing 6. The most serious case happened when a train heading for Hanoi crashed into six cars that were stuck on a railroad track on the Ghenh Bridge in Bien Hoa City, claiming two lives and injuring 26 on February 7.

The number of traffic accidents in big cities like Hanoi and HCMC was down and no illegal motorcycle street racing was reported.

Drunk drivers caused most of the traffic accidents, according to local authorities.

From January 31 to February 6, more than 50 hospitals and medical stations in Ho Chi Minh City received 1,699 traffic accidents, 17 pct more than last year with the toll of crash fatalities up 6 cases, according to the city’s Health Department.

Vam Cong ferry station clogged with vehicles

A big traffic jam occurred at the Vam Cong ferry station across the Hau River in An Giang southern province as a long line of vehicles were stuck for many hours this morning from the National Highway 91 to Cai San Bridge near Can Tho city.

This year’s number of vehicles traveling through the ferry station increased 20 pct compared to the same period last year, said Nguyen Van Trang, chief supervisor of the station.

The congestion came about as people from across the country’s southern region flocked through the station to return to Ho Chi Minh City to resume work from provinces of An Giang and Kien Giang.

To handle the gridlock, the organizing board mobilized three more ferries with loading capacity of 100 – 200 tons each.

In other news, in Binh Dinh central province, the Binh Dinh Transportation Joint-Stock Company has mobilized all available buses in the province to meet growing demand during Tet holidays, aimed at avoiding traffic jams.

According to initial statistics, although the price of tickets has gone up to 100 pct, the number of buses traveling on the Quy Nhon – Ho Chi Minh City route increased fourfold year-on-year.

Currently, all train tickets (160 tickets per day) for the Dieu Tri-HCMC route on February 7 – 28 have been sold out.

The Dieu Tri train station in Binh Dinh has suggested local authorities deploy two more carriages and one train to meet demand.

7 detained as train hits 6 cars stuck on tracks

The driver and assistant driver of a train which yesterday fatally crashed into six cars stuck on a railway track in Bien Hoa city have been detained along with five officers in charge of guarding the railway gate at the scene.

Two people died on the spot and 26 others were injured when the S2 train heading for Hanoi smashed into the vehicles on the Ghenh Bridge in Bien Hoa city near Ho Chi Minh City at 8pm.

Pham Van Binh, head of Vietnam Railways’ traffic safety department, said police are investigating why the train continued to move onto the bridge full of cars and motorbikes.

Passengers stuck in the traffic jam started to scramble out of their vehicles as the train moved forward while others screamed and ran away, creating a massive stampede.

According to Binh, Vietnam is the only country in the world allowing train, cars and motorbikes to travel together on the same section of road.

Nguyen Xuan Hoa, director of the Saigon Railway Management Company said that in principle, when a train is about to approach a railway crossing, officers in charge must lower the barrier gates to ensure no vehicles encroach onto the railway tracks.

“This is a very rare case when both train and cars travel together”, Hoa added.

The officers in charge of railway crossings told police they had informed the train of the traffic jam at the bridge beforehand.

However, the train’s driver and assistant driver denied receiving any warnings. They said they even got signals allowing the train to move forward.

The 14-compartment train weighing roughly 600 tons could only stop when it is 300 meters away from an object, they said.

According to local police, this is the worst railway accident ever in Bien Hoa - the capital town of Dong Nai province.

Meanwhile, the two perished victims have been identified as Tran Ngoc Khai, 49 and his son Tran Ngoc Tuan, 20 who were crossing the bridge on the 60N-6520 car, probably on a Tet trip.

Vam Cong ferry station clogged with vehicles

A big traffic jam occurred at the Vam Cong ferry station across the Hau River in An Giang southern province as a long line of vehicles were stuck for many hours this morning from the National Highway 91 to Cai San Bridge near Can Tho city.

This year’s number of vehicles traveling through the ferry station increased 20 pct compared to the same period last year, said Nguyen Van Trang, chief supervisor of the station.

The congestion came about as people from across the country’s southern region flocked through the station to return to Ho Chi Minh City to resume work from provinces of An Giang and Kien Giang.

To handle the gridlock, the organizing board mobilized three more ferries with loading capacity of 100 – 200 tons each.

In other news, in Binh Dinh central province, the Binh Dinh Transportation Joint-Stock Company has mobilized all available buses in the province to meet growing demand during Tet holidays, aimed at avoiding traffic jams.

According to initial statistics, although the price of tickets has gone up to 100 pct, the number of buses traveling on the Quy Nhon – Ho Chi Minh City route increased fourfold year-on-year.

Currently, all train tickets (160 tickets per day) for the Dieu Tri-HCMC route on February 7 – 28 have been sold out.

The Dieu Tri train station in Binh Dinh has suggested local authorities deploy two more carriages and one train to meet demand.

9 dead from Tet alcohol and lack of oxygen

The room where they were found deadNine young people were found dead in a house shut tight in the northern city of Hai Phong Sunday afternoon, apparently from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Pham Van Thuc, returning after a trip during Tet, found his 28-year-old son and eight others, including two young women, lying dead on the floor of the house on Nguyen Van Hoi Street, Hai An District.

Examining the scene, the police said they found no sign of a murder or robbery, since all the victims were lying in their normal positions and all properties were intact.

Some empty bottles of liquor were scattered on a table, said police.

Local police said they died of carbon monoxide poisoning.

A police officer says a car was driven into the house after the power went out.

Its headlights and stereo were turned on inside the house, which had all windows and doors closed.

The victims danced after loud music in euphoric states at around 1 or 2 am Sunday.

Most of the victims were in their twenties and were pronounced dead on arrival at the city-based Viet-Tiep Hospital.

On the night before the young people gathered in the house and loud music was heard outside, according to neighbors.

Drunken man stabs wife to near death

A woman in the central province of Quang Binh was rushed to hospital early morning Sunday after receiving fatal stabs from her drunken husband.

Cao T.N, 19, said in hospital she was sleeping with her child when her husband came home in a drunken state at 2AM Sunday and stabbed her in the neck, chest, back and hand.

Doctor Dinh Viet Anh, Deputy Head of Minh Hoa General Hospital where the woman was treated said upon hospitalization, she suffered from shock for loss of blood from 8 stab wounds.

Her lung which was punctured from a back stab needs being sewed up, the doctor said.

After a 3-hour surgery, N. was out of her most critical condition.

The couple’s family said they will not seek legal actions.