Two people were killed after a man committed suicide by detonating a self-made bomb on Monday in the northern Vietnamese province of Quang Ninh.

Dang Van Trung, 29, a cab driver of Hoang Minh Taxi, and his passenger, 50-year-old Le Thanh, lost their lives to the bomb blast as they were traveling along Tran Phu Street in Cam Pha City in the afternoon.

Initial investigations revealed that Thanh committed suicide with a self-made bomb, the municipal Department of Police stated.

According to Pham Van Kinh, vice-chairman of the Cam Pha People’s Committee, Thanh was a serious drug addict and had spent eight years in prison.

A suicide note was also found at his home, stating his intention to kill himself because of poor health and his negative influence on his family, Kinh continued.

Trung’s colleagues said that he was honest, simple, and did not bear any hostility towards anyone.

The deceased cabby did not display any abnormal behaviors prior to the incident, they added.

There was no connection between Trung and Thanh based on preliminary information.

According to the case file, Trung picked up Thanh at around 12:24 pm after receiving the request from his taxi headquarters.  

The cab exploded eight minutes later, with the force and heat of the blast damaging an automobile traveling nearby in the same direction.

Local firefighting officers were dispatched to the scene shortly after to douse the flames that engulfed the vehicle.

The case is still under investigation.