Mother, two kids killed in crane collapse in southern Vietnam

The accident occurred on Road 842 in An Loc Ward of Hong Ngu Town at 7:45 am that day when the woman, Cao Tuong Van, was carrying her two children, Tran Cao Cong Danh, a seven-year-old boy, and Tran Ngoc Thao Vi, a three-year-old girl, on a motorbike to their schools.

At that time, Nguyen Thai Huynh, 29, the driver of the crane truck, was operating the equipment at an unfenced construction site for the Hong Ngu 2 Bridge, when the crane suddenly fell on the three victims.

The construction unit is Ho Chi Minh City-based Truong Loc Works Construction JSC.

Huynh was arrested after the deadly accident for investigation into the cause of the crane collapse, Nguyen Hung Trang, chairman of the Hong Ngu Town People’s Committee, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Tuesday.

Trang added, “Competent agencies initially said industrial safety was not ensured at the construction site.”

Nguyen Thanh Hung, deputy chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, said he has ordered a technical examination of all works at the construction site.

Hung said that the accident might have taken place because the crane truck driver did not operate the machinery in accordance with standard procedures.

He also apologized to the family of the victims for “the authorities’ loose control over industrial safety, resulting in such a regretful accident.”

Local police have performed autopsies on the three victims to clarify the cause of the deaths, while a probe into the case is underway.

Huynh is being investigated on charges of “accidentally causing human death” pursuant to Article 98 of the Penal Code, Senior Lieutenant Colonel Thai Thi My Trang, from the provincial Police Department, said on Wednesday morning.

Provincial authorities gave Van’s family VND13.5 million (US$623) while the construction unit offered the family VND50 million ($2,310) as initial support.

Many accidents related to construction cranes have occurred in recent times.

The latest took place on Nguyen Huu Tho Street in Hanoi on March 7, 2015, when a 46 meter-tall crane fell to the ground, but there were no casualties.

Another accident occurred on November 6, 2014, when a crane fell on Nguyen Trai Street in the capital, killing one person immediately and injuring many others.

One more accident happened in Hoang Mai Town of the central province of Nghe An on September 27, 2014, when the crane of a construction unit at the Hoang Mai Bridge collapsed on a man and killed him.