A mother and her five-year-old son from Tien Giang Province, in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, have been killed after the driver of a container truck fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into their home.

The accident occurred along a section of National Highway 1 in Nhi Binh Commune, Tan Thanh District, at around 2:00 pm on Monday, after the truck hit a parked motor car before ending up inside the house.

Homeowner Nguyen Van Cuong, 38, suffered major injuries while his wife, 36-year-old Nguyen Thi Hong Ngan, and their five-year-old son, Nguyen Anh Khoi, were both killed.

According to Nguyen Van Hong, Cuong’s father, he was in shock when he saw the bodies of both his daughter-in-law and grandchild while his son remained trapped under the vehicle.

“I urged the driver to steer the truck backward so I could rescue Cuong, but he had fled the scene,” Hong said.

The container truck after slamming into the house. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Cuong was trapped under the truck for nearly three hours before the authorities arrived and saved him, the father continued.

At around 4:00 pm the same day, the driver, 35-year-old Nguyen Nam Phu, turned himself in to police.

Colonel Ngo Xuan Tu, chief of the police bureau in Chau Thanh District, said that initial information revealed that Phu had fallen asleep while driving, causing the accident, and added that he had been held custody for investigation.

Local authorities have donated VND5 million (US$221.5) to the family of the victims.

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