On-duty firefighter dies

• One firefighter died, two injured when stamping out fire
• Images of heroic firefighters in recent incident

At 4 pm on Sunday afternoon, a serious accident happened on Phap Van - Cao Gie Expressway between a 16-seater coach and a truck. Six people were injured and two died while thecoach was badly damaged.

After being informed of the accident, Fire Police Division No.12 of the Hanoi Municipal Fire Police deployed a command car, a fire engine and an ambulance with 17 firefighters and police officers to the scene.

On the way to the scene, the fire-engine with registration number 29A-02307 collided with a 45-seater coach with registration number 29B-07843 coming from the opposite direction. The accident also happened on Phap Van - Cau Gie Expressway, near the Thuong Tin toll station in Ha Hoi commune, Thuong Tin district.

The accident made 6 firefighters on the fire-engine and 5 persons on the coach injured. They were all taken to Bach Mai hospital, but due to serious injuries, Sergeant Chu Van Khanh, firefighter of Fire Police Division No.12 passed away on March 19.

Sergeant Chu Van Khanh was living with his parents, and their life is difficult as his parents don't have stable jobs. He himself is the youngest son in the 4-children family.

In September 2015, Chu Van Khanh joined the Hanoi Municipal Fire Police as a non-commissioned fire officer (course K52). From January 2016, he was posted to the professional fire fighting and rescuing team.

During his career, Khanh was an exemplary soldier in training, and he successfully completed his assigned tasks.  In 2016, he was awarded the title "Outstanding Soldier", and he got the title “Excellent Emulation Soldier” in 2017. He also received many others awards from the Hanoi Municipal Fire Police and Thuong Tin District People's Committee for his outstanding achievements in firefighting and rescue missions.

Major General Hoang Quoc Dinh, Director of the Hanoi Municipal Fire Police said, after the accident, following the instruction of leaders of the Ministry of Public Security, the unit in collaboration with the Hanoi Investigation Police and relevant units started conducting an objective investigation into the accident; at the same time, they are planning to raise public awareness of the traffic law and promote traffic culture in society.

The Hanoi Municipal Fire Police also posthumously promoted the dead fighter to Sergeant Major.