Police in the Mekong Delta province of Long An have arrested and initiated legal proceedings against a truck driver who plowed into nearly two dozen motorcyclists this week, following the results of an inspection which revealed that there were no problems with the vehicle’s brake system.

Senior Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Minh Sang, spokesperson for the provincial police department, confirmed on Thursday they had taken Pham Thanh Hieu, 32, into custody for “violating traffic regulations.”

Hieu, allegedly under the influences of heroine and alcohol, plowed his tractor trailer into a crowd waiting at a red light in Long An on Wednesday, killing three on the spot. A fourth victim passed away later at the hospital.

The driver fled the scene but turned himself in to police seven hours after the accident.

He was immediately taken to the Long An Province General Hospital for an examination and later tested positive for heroin and alcohol.

According to a source close to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper, Hieu claimed he had only consumed beer prior to the crash and denied using any drugs.

Pham Thanh Hieu, the truck driver, is held at the police station in this photo supplied by officers.

He also blamed the accident on problems with the truck’s brakes. 

The Vietnam Registry, however, on Thursday said that an inspection of the truck showed that its brake system was working normally.

At around 3:20 pm on Wednesday, 21 motorcycles waiting at a traffic light at the Binh Nhut intersection of National Highway 1 in Long Anh’s Ben Luc District were struck by Hieu’s tractor trailer.

Eighteen other victims were injured, eight of whom were transferred to Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City for treatment.

CCTV footage of the incident shows that the truck plowed into the motorcyclists without showing any sign of slowing down.

The truck continued to travel with motorbikes trapped under for another 200m before coming to a complete halt.

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