A crowded night bus has plunged off a bridge into a river in central Vietnam, killing 34 passengers and injuring 21 others in one of the country's deadliest road accidents. According to witnesses everyone was fast asleep on the bus when tragedy struck.

The 50-seat coach crashed through the bridge's guardrails on Thursday night, falling about 18 metres and landing on its top, rescuers use hammers to try and rescue people.

It is believed the bus's two drivers were among the 32 people who died at the scene. Two other people died at the hospital.

Vietnam has one of the world's highest traffic fatality rates, with more than 11,000 people killed each year. Authorities are investigating the cause of the crash.

Written and Presented by Ann Salter