Traffic toll grim in Ho Chi Minh City

Traffic toll grim in Ho Chi Minh City

HANOI (DPA): Up to 300 traffic accident victims per day are brought in to Ho Chi Minh City's main hospital during Vietnam's extended holiday season, doctors said yesterday.

The casualty figure is normally up to 200 per day but rises dramatically during the holiday season, from Christmas through the lunar new year celebration, known as Tet, which falls in late January.

Until recently the emergency ward at Cho Ray Hospital had just 24 beds to handle the deluge of accident victims, who often had to double and triple up in beds to recover, doctors there said.

Reckless driving is considered the main cause of accidents, which account for most of the emergency cases.