The absence of cameras and drivers denying involvement have complicated the investigation into tracing the vehicle that dropped rocks, killing a Russian tourist in central Lam Dong Province.
Representatives of Phan Son Commune announced Tuesday that authorities have not yet identified the driver whose vehicle caused a rock to fall onto a group of Russian tourists in a travel van while passing through Dai Ninh Pass on National Highway 28B in the commune.
The deadly accident happened on Monday as a 16-seat service van carrying 11 Russian tourists from Mui Ne to Da Lat passed through the pass.
A van’s windshield is damaged by falling rocks, resulting the death of a Russian passenger in Lam Dong Province, Dec. 8, 2025. Photo by Read/Tu Huynh |
A rock from a vehicle transporting materials ahead fell, piercing the upper-left corner of the front windshield and hitting passengers seated behind the driver. Two tourists suffered severe head injuries.
Driver Tran Cao Minh Tri, 56, the only Vietnamese person on the van, immediately turned the vehicle back and took the victims to Bac Binh Thuan Regional General Hospital. However, a 57-year-old female tourist died en route.
The male tourist received first aid and was then transferred to a larger hospital in Lam Dong for further treatment.
The unit managing the highway upgrade project also confirmed they have not located the vehicle responsible for the accident. The construction team provided a list of six vehicles operating in the area and their routes that morning, but all drivers denied involvement.
Representatives from the project management board said they could not confirm whether the vehicle belonged to the construction team, as the section also had many vehicles transporting materials. The unit is cooperating with investigators to clarify the incident.
Upon receiving the information, the chief of Phan Son Commune police and five officers inspected the route but found no trace as the vehicles had already left the area. Police later worked with vehicles transporting construction materials on National Highway 28B and attempted to extract data from roadside cameras but did not obtain useful footage. The service van carrying the tourists was not equipped with a dash camera either.
An engineer at the construction site assessed that the rock, less than 20 cm in diameter, was not large. However, the force of penetration causing death indicates that at the time of the accident, the two vehicles were running at very high speed.
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