Pickup truck overturned after falling into sinkhole in the middle of the road

At around 9pm on February 19, Mr. Tuyen Luu (Hai Phong) drove a pickup truck carrying two other people down O Quy Ho Pass towards Sa Pa town. When reaching a section of road near the foot of the cable car, about 2km from the town, the driver encountered an oncoming vehicle so he swerved to avoid it. The pickup truck fell into a sinkhole right in front of him, in the traffic lane, and flipped over.

"The road was dark and foggy, visibility was only 5-7 meters. I was driving slowly, saw the headlights of oncoming vehicles so I swerved to avoid them, but I couldn't see the sinkhole because there were no warning lines or barriers," said the driver.

After the accident, all three people in the car suffered minor injuries, and the pickup truck was towed to Hai Phong for repairs. Tuyen Luu said that he often traveled mountain passes, so he did not dare to drive fast in the fog, but due to limited visibility and no warning, he could not detect the sinkhole.

Dashcam video shows that a few hundred meters before the landslide, there are signs warning of landslides and the road is narrow, but there are no barriers, markers or ropes at the location of the sinkhole. The depth of the sinkhole is up to an adult's waist, about 1 meter, which is why the car skidded, lost its balance and flipped over.

On the morning of February 21, Mr. Hoang Ngoc Dinh, Head of the Urban Management Department, Sa Pa town, said that the sinkhole was formed by storm Yagi in September 2024 along with many other landslides along National Highway 4D connecting Lao Cai and Lai Chau.

"The province and the town have proposed to the Department of Roads to repair this route and it has been approved," said Mr. Dinh. Before 2025, national highways were managed by the Ministry of Transport. From 2025, according to the Vietnam Road Law, national highways will be decentralized to the People's Committees of provinces and cities.

According to local residents, on the morning of February 21, warning ropes were put up around the sinkhole.

For drivers, when driving on steep mountain passes, which are often foggy and have potential risks of accidents due to curves, deep ravines, and landslides, it is best to travel during the day if it is not necessary to drive at night. When traveling at night, turn on the fog lights if there is fog, reduce speed to a safe level, depending on the visibility ahead. Observe the taillights of the vehicle in front to know how to react to the terrain. If there is no vehicle in front, focus on observing signs and the road surface to brake when necessary.