An explosion wrecked a bus loaded with an illegal shipment of timber and carrying 14 Vietnamese passengers in Khammuan province yesterday, killing eight people instantly, according to a provincial official.
The aftermath of the explosion, believed to have been caused by fireworks stowed in the baggage compartment.
Two other passengers were slightly injured, while the rest suffered serious injuries, the security official in charge of the fatal accident told Vientiane Times .
Those who were injured were taken to Bualapha district hospital for treatment. The Vietnamese driver of the bus fled the scene.
The cause of the accident is under investigation, but provincial officials discovered two or three boxes of fireworks in the baggage compartment underneath the bus.
The explosion on the bus, which had departed from Thakhaek en route for Vietnam, occurred when it reached Bualapha district, just eight kilometres from the Naphao-Chaulor border checkpoint.
The official said the bus had a Lao number plate.
It is believed that a gang of timber traders was illegally transporting the shipment of wood to Vietnam, despite the government having issued a blanket ban on the export of timber just last month.
Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith issued an order on May 13 prohibiting the export of timber, logs and all forms of unprocessed wood products.
The official said that once their investigations into the accident are complete, they will move the timber to Khammuan provincial Security Headquarters.
Illegal logging and trading has been a chronic problem that remains widespread. The government has promised it will take tough action to address the issue.
Following the export ban, Prime Minister Thongloun last week ordered that all types of forest be closed to logging as of June 1, with all parties prohibited from collecting or removing logs from forest fields. This will allow the government to review the situation before considering reopening forests for logging in October.
