Driver admits drowsiness in sleeper bus crash that went up in flames, killing 7

The driver of a sleeper bus admitted that drowsiness caused him to crash his vehicle early Tuesday in southern Dong Nai City, sparking a fire that killed seven passengers. Police detained 41-year-old Tran Thanh Hai on Tuesday to investigate his role in the accident that claimed the lives of seven people, including three children aged 2, 4, and 10, and left five others injured. A sleeper bus goes up in flames on National Highway 1 through Dong Nai City, July 21, 2026. Video by Thanh HuongAccording to the initial investigation, the journey began late Monday.Hai was driving the bus carrying 37 passengers and one assistant along National Highway 1, traveling from the central Khanh Hoa Province to Ho Chi Minh City.In the early hours of Tuesday, as the bus reached Dong Nai's Hung Thinh Commune, Hai noticed a truck traveling ahead of him in the same direction.He steered to the right to avoid a collision, causing the bus to veer off the road and strike a protective guardrail.Following the initial impact, the vehicle continued forward and hit a second guardrail.A section of this metal barrier penetrated beneath the bus near the front passenger-side entrance.The collision disabled both the engine and the pneumatic system.Because the main door operated on compressed air, it could not be opened normally.Simultaneously, smoke began billowing around the front entrance and quickly ignited.The flames rapidly engulfed the entire bus. A passenger bus is burned down in Dong Nai City, July 21, 2026. Photo by VnExpres/Phuoc Tuan Hai and his assistant, Le Quoc Dat, managed to break open the main door and successfully helped many passengers escape.However, the fire and smoke spread so quickly that they were unable to reach the rear of the bus to rescue those trapped there.Following the tragedy, Hai turned himself in at the Hung Thinh Commune Police station.He confessed that he had been driving while sleepy and distracted, which ultimately caused the crash.Vehicle registration records show the 24-berth sleeper bus was manufactured in Vietnam in 2026.It received a contract transport permit in January 2026, which was valid until January 2033.The vehicle passed its first inspection on Jan. 28, 2026, and its safety certificate was valid until Jan. 27, 2028.