More than 600 people took part in an annual requiem conducted in Hanoi on Sunday to commemorate road accident victims in Vietnam.

The event, organized for the fourth time by the National Traffic Safety Committee, took place with the theme of “Commemorating the Deceased People – For the Sake of Those Alive.”

The annual function is an occasion to remember the victims killed and injured in road accidents and show sympathy with their families and relatives, the committee said.

Every participant in the requiem lifted a candle as a tribute to the dead.

Amid the flickering flames from more than 600 candles, the participants observed a minute of silence to commemorate the dead victims of traffic accidents.

The event is part of activities to mark the The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, which falls on the third Sunday of November each year.

Speaking at the requiem, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, chairman of the committee, extended his deep condolences to all families whose members have died or been injured in traffic accidents.

He called on everybody to contribute to reducing traffic accidents by concrete actions, such as complying with traffic rules, respecting and making concession to others in traffic, and protecting roads and bridges from being damaged by overloaded trucks.

More than 18,400 traffic accidents have occurred across the country over the past ten months, killing nearly 7,200 people and injuring more than 16,700 others, the committee reported.

The national budget has to spend thousands of billions of dong (VND1 billion equals US$44,600) on overcoming consequences caused by traffic accidents, the committee added.

Around 9,000 people die from road accidents in Vietnam per year, or almost 25 deaths per day, Transport Minister Dinh La Thang said at a requiem held in Ho Chi Minh City on November 10, 2014 for the dead victims. In addition, hundreds of thousands of others suffer from life-time injuries caused by traffic accidents every year, the minister added.

On October 26, 2005, the United Nations endorsed every third Sunday in November each year as a global day to be observed to remember those who died or were injured in road accidents and the plight of their loved ones who suffer the consequences of their deaths or injuries.