Eight people died and 11 others were injured on Saturday, the first day of a four-day holiday, in 15 traffic accidents throughout Vietnam, according to a report by the National Traffic Safety Committee.

All of the crashes happened on the roads, the committee said, adding this number is far lower than that in the same period of last year.

Police officers handled 5,606 people for violating traffic rules, including road and waterway cases.

The officers took away 187 driver’s licenses, impounded 580 vehicles, and fined the lawbreakers a total of VND4 billion (US$175,200).

One of the accidents was caused by a tractor trailer in Ho Chi Minh City, killing a young boy and injuring two others.

Reports showed that the vehicle was traveling on National Road 22 in Hoc Mon District when it crashed into a motorbike carrying three people and a car idling at the traffic lights.

The tractor trailer continued to veer onto the sidewalk, uprooting a tree before slamming into a house.

The young boy died instantly after being dragged for a distance with the motorcycle, while the woman on the bike was severely injured, with the man sustaining slight scratches.

The house had its door destroyed whereas the tractor trailer and the car were badly damaged.

Police have yet to identify the driver of the tractor trailer. Further investigation is underway.

Vietnam started a four-day holiday on Saturday to celebrate Reunification Day (April 30) and Labor Day (May 1). The holiday will end on Tuesday.

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