As of the evening of May 17, functional forces were still cleaning up the corrugated iron roof that was knocked down by thunderstorms and regulating traffic on Hoang Van Thu street (Tan Son Hoa ward).
At about 4 pm on May 17, in a strong thunderstorm, a corrugated iron roof with a steel frame about 10m wide of a store on Hoang Van Thu street (Tan Son Hoa ward) was suddenly blown down by the wind and completely collapsed.
Because the collapsed location was right in the downhill area of Lang Cha Ca overpass - the vital gateway to Tan Son Nhat airport, and it was rush hour in the afternoon, the incident caused difficulties for vehicles passing through here. Fortunately, at the time the corrugated iron roof was blown away by the tornado and fell onto the road, there were no pedestrians or vehicles underneath, so there were no casualties.
As a witness to the incident, Mr. Hoang Minh (resident of Tan Son Nhat ward) shared: "When I passed by, I saw the scene as a pile of collapsed corrugated iron blocking part of the road. Functional forces were present very quickly to blockade and clean up the scene. Vehicles passing through this section had to move slowly, causing slight congestion.
Upon receiving the news, more than a dozen officers and soldiers of the Fire and Rescue Police force were mobilized to the scene to handle the incident. Soldiers had to use specialized chainsaws and lifting equipment to cut down the dilapidated steel frame structure, urgently moving it to the side of the road. Traffic police and local militia were also on duty to divert traffic, regulate traffic and ensure safety for pedestrians.
About 2km from this scene, thunderstorms also uprooted a large green tree on Le Van Sy street, collapsing part of the fence of Tan Chau Sa church. Fortunately, this incident did not cause any casualties.
According to the meteorological agency, Ho Chi Minh City and the Southern region are entering a seasonal transition phase, so heavy rain often appears accompanied by thunderstorms and strong gusts of wind in the late afternoon. Functional units recommend that people when encountering heavy rain should limit sheltering from rain under large ancient trees, advertising signs or temporary shelters to avoid the risk of unfortunate accidents.
