A 500-tonne barge which carried sand sank on Saigon River this morning, July 18, after colliding with another barge. 

The area where the barge sinks on Saigon River

According to Phan Cong Bang, director of the HCM City Department of Transport’s Inland Waterway Management Board, the incident happened at around 3:30 am when the sand barge running from Saigon River to Te Canal hit into the 734-tonne barge transporting stone in the same direction.

The collision damaged the sand barge, causing the barge to be flooded with water. The barge then sank at the area which is some 300 metres from Tan Thuan 2 Bridge. The barge salvage is expected to be completed on July 19.

The HCM City Department of Transport is working with the city’s waterway police to regulate traffic on the river.