Five construction workers were killed on Tuesday after they were hit by a car while doing roadwork in northern Vietnam.  

The accident occurred at the border of Phuong Thien and Phuong Do Communes in Ha Giang City, which is the capital of the namesake province, in the afternoon. 

According to initial information, a team of road workers, who were employees of a local transport company, were building a median strip along the Cau Me-Ha Phuong Water Park Street when they were rammed by an automobile.

Two victims were killed instantly, while three others were brought to the Ha Giang Province General Hospital but later succumbed to their serious wounds.

The car driver had escaped the scene.

The accident happened at around 2:45 pm, Bui Van Thich, head of the office of the provincial Traffic Safety Committee, said, adding that the victims were aged from 19 to 42 and all came from Hoang Su Phi District.

Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh, who is also chairman of the National Committee for Traffic Safety, has extended his condolences to family members of the deceased.

Binh has ordered local authorities to work out the cause of the serious accident and sternly punish those responsible.

Over 8,200 people died and about 17,000 others were injured in road accidents in Vietnam last year, according to official data.

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