Hanoi (VNA) – There were 1,326 cases of trafficaccidents in May, killing 558 people and injuring over 1,000 others, accordingto the National Traffic Safety Committee.

Compared to the same period last year, the number of caseswere down 9.8 percent, while the number of fatalities and injured were reducedby 18.9 percent and 4.53 percent, respectively.

Of the figure, as many as 1,313 road accidents left 553 peopledead and 1,072 others wounded. Nine railway accidents killed five and injuredtwo others while three waterway accident cases hurt one.

In the five months of this year, there were more than 6,700traffic accidents, killing over 3,100 and injuring 5,200 others – down 9.49 percentin the number of cases, 10 percent in mortalities, and 8 percent in the numberof the wounded.

Nearly 6,700 road accidents killed upwards 3,000 people andinjured more than 5,200 others.

Vice Chairman of the committee Khuat Viet Hung said therehave been a number of traffic accidents causing public concern regardingdrivers who drink alcohol in excess or abuse drugs, causing serious accidents,notably three cases in Binh Dinh and one in Hanoi in April.

In the near future, the committee will hold trips to those localitieswith many accident cases in the first quarter, he said.

The Ministry of Public Security asked units and localitiesto enhance inspection and seriously punish violators. –VNA