Extreme heat causes container truck tire to explode, tearing up road surface in north-central Vietnam

A leader of the local road management office said on Tuesday that authorities had inspected the scene near Duoi Bridge in Hieu Giang Commune, where the road surface was damaged.

Earlier, a local resident identified as H.H. uploaded a video to social media showing the road suddenly breaking apart after a container truck suffered a tire blowout while passing through the area.

At around 2:00 pm on Tuesday, the vehicle emitted a massive bang before the asphalt surface at the site burst apart, sending chunks of road material flying in all directions.

“The explosion sounded like a bomb. Pieces of asphalt were thrown hundreds of meters away and even damaged residents’ fibro cement roofing sheets,” H.H. said.

The asphalt layer, several centimeters thick, was peeled off, cracked, and scattered across the roadway, with some fragments measuring 20-30 centimeters wide.

Local residents later helped clean up the broken asphalt debris.

After an inspection, road management authorities determined that the peeled-off section measured about 0.9 meters by 0.5 meters.

Initial assessments showed that the location had previously undergone asphalt reinforcement work.

Over the past few days, Quang Tri has experienced prolonged extreme heat.

Authorities said the combination of road surface temperatures possibly reaching 70 degrees Celsius and the sudden pressure from the exploding truck tire likely caused the asphalt to burst and break apart.

Under such extreme weather conditions, road surface temperatures can rise to around 70 degrees Celsius, softening the asphalt, causing expansion, and reducing its load-bearing capacity.

The Quang Tri Hydrometeorological Station reported widespread heatwaves across the province, with humidity dropping to as low as 38-52 percent.

Outdoor temperatures ranged from 37.5 to 39.2 degrees Celsius.

According to forecasts, the heatwave is expected to continue until Thursday this week, with maximum temperatures commonly ranging from 36 to 39 degrees Celsius, and some places remaining above 39 degrees Celsius.

The hot spell is forecast to gradually weaken and end from Friday onward.

Quang Tri's road management authorities are currently preparing repair plans and will resurface the damaged section to ensure traffic safety along the route.