Works, rains make death traps out of HCMC streets

The son of 42-year-old Ha Thi Tuyet Mai who was run over by a truck in Thu Duc District cried when he saw the accident

Photo: SGTT

With two more deaths last weekend reportedly caused by careless road works in Ho Chi Minh City, infrastructure works are increasingly causing concern, especially when it rains.

A 30-year-old man was riding a bicycle in Thu Duc District’s flooded To Ngoc Van Street Sunday evening when he fell into an open manhole and was swept away by the swift waters.

Eyewitnesses said the water on the street meant there was no trace of the open manhole.

Contractors are working on the sewer to expand it, and not only did they leave it open but also put up no signs to warn street users.

When the man fell into the sewer, people rushed to try and pull him out but he had been quickly swept away.

Police found his body 30 minutes later stuck further down the drain.

Earlier, on Saturday, Ha Thi Tuyet Mai, 42, was run over by a truck when her motorcycle toppled after hitting a manhole cover in Kha Van Can Street also in Thu Duc.

She died instantly but her 13-year-old son escaped unhurt after falling on the pavement.

City residents have repeatedly written to Tuoi Tre, expressing concern and fear about the potholes on many streets caused by careless drainage and other works.

Nguyen Van Tien of Binh Chanh District said the roads near his house have been left potholed after street barriers were put up for works and then removed.

“[Even] heavy trucks are easily trapped in the potholes,” he said.

Holes up to two meters deep have recently appeared on Nguyen Kiem, Phan Van Tri, Hai Ba Trung, and Tran Nhat Duat Streets, posing a serious threat to drivers, especially on motorbikes.

The most notorious one -- in an alley off Le Van Sy Street in District 3 -- trapped a taxi last month, with photos all over the media showing the vehicle half inside it.

Since July 2008 dozens of people have been killed on the city’s streets in accidents caused by careless infrastructure works.

A person who works for a city road assessment agency told Tuoi Tre that many roadwork contractors misappropriate building materials, compromising quality and leaving holes and uneven surfaces.