Passengers on a sleeper bus running from Hanoi to the north-central province of Thanh Hoa on Sunday narrowly escaped death when the vehicle crashed into a railway crossing barrier and became stuck on top of the track as a train approached.

The unlikely accident happened at around 12:30 pm on Sunday at a level crossing in Thanh Hoa’s Ha Trung District.

According to CCTV footage of the incident, boom gates had already been lowered to guard off vehicles from the railway track as preparation for an approaching train moments before the accident.

A few seconds later, a passenger bus moving parallel to the railway track swayed to avoid a motorcyclist and hit one of the barriers, causing the metal bar to pierce through the vehicle’s windshield and out one of its windows.

The bus became stuck on top of the track as passengers fled the vehicle, some through the already broken windows.

Within a minute, all passengers were safely evacuated to safety, and the driver managed to back the bus away from danger.

No serious injuries were reported in the event, while the footage went viral on the Internet over the next few days, raising concerns about the safety of railway crossings in Vietnam.

Police in Ha Trung District on Thursday said they had issued administrative fines to the owner and driver of the passenger bus for violations of transportation rules.

The owner, Bui Khac Nham, was fined VND3 million (US$130) for handing his vehicle to an unqualified person to operate.

The driver, Le Van Phi, was fined VND12 million ($515) for “inattentive driving” and “driving without a driver’s license," as his license had been suspended before the crash.

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