Arya News - The deceased twin brothers had been studying in Hamburg since early 2022 and were in Frankfurt that fateful day for the Kendrick Lamar & SZA concert.
BERLIN – The Vietnamese Consulate General in Frankfurt am Main (Germany) has been conducting citizen protection measures following a tragic car crash on Mainzer Landstraße street in Gallus District, Frankfurt, which killed two Vietnamese students and left one seriously injured.
Upon receiving information from local police, the Consulate General swiftly launched the necessary moves. The victims were confirmed to be Vietnamese nationals – 23-year-old twin brothers Nguyễn Duy Quang and Nguyễn Quang Minh, who both died, and their friend, 27-year-old Hoàng Trung Hiếu, who remains in critical condition.
Consul General Lưu Xuân Đồng immediately informed the Vietnamese Embassy in Germany and assigned representatives to contact local authorities and police. The Consulate General also assisted with visa procedures to enable the victims’ family members to come to Germany. To date, family members of the injured student has been granted the necessary documents by Frankfurt’s immigration office to visit and care for him.
The twins had been studying in Hamburg since early 2022 and were in Frankfurt that fateful day for the Kendrick Lamar & SZA concert.
Their relatives, authorised to act on behalf of the family, along with friends, members of the Vietnamese community, teachers from Altona Vocational School, and staff from Kieferorthopäden Altona, where the two had been interning, organised a funeral ceremony at St. Petri Church in Hamburg for the deceased.
The Consulate General will continue to assist with the legal procedures required for repatriating the ashes of the two students as per regulations.
To support the families with repatriation costs and the lengthy treatment of Hiếu, the Vietnamese community in Germany and friends plan to hold a fundraising drive at the Vietnamese Consulate General in Frankfurt am Main on July 28.
Dr Kambiz Ghawami, Chairman of the World University Service Germany and a long-time friend of Việt Nam, will lead the initiative and coordinate with the Consulate General to facilitate the repatriation process. It is reported that all three students came from the disadvantaged families.
Anne Schuhmann, the students’ homeroom teacher at Altona Vocational School, tearfully recalled: “With their sincerity, warmth, and openness, the two always brought joy to the whole class.”
Dr Christina Essers, head of the Kieferorthopäden Altona dental clinic, where the twins were trainees, read a heartfelt note from a staff member: “Losing them breaks our hearts. But I’m truly grateful to have met them in this life.”
The clinic has started a GoFundMe for the full repatriation costs to Việt Nam, the funeral costs, the costs incurred by their departure and the start of their training in Germany, and to cushion the long-term loss of financial support that the two sent to their family on a monthly basis. The clinic has raised €153,127 so far and has disabled new donations.
Horrific accident
German police and prosecutors stated that the suspect, a 23-year-old male driver, was speeding and is believed to have used laughing gas (nitrous oxide — N₂O) prior to getting behind the wheel, according to ZDFheute.
After striking the twins’ e-scooter, the vehicle continued on and collided with another e-scooter ridden by Hiếu. The impact threw the man onto the car’s windscreen, before he landed on the bonnet.
Despite the crash, the driver continued for another 150 metres before Hiếu fell from the vehicle onto the road, suffering severe head and leg injuries. He later had to have part of his lower leg amputated and remains in critical condition.
Quang’s 24-year-old fiancée was also part of the group, travelling on a separate e-scooter. She was physically unharmed but has suffered severe psychological trauma.
The driver initially fled the scene but later turned himself in that same night.
He has since been taken into custody under a provisional arrest warrant and now faces charges including two counts of manslaughter, attempted murder, causing grievous bodily harm, and fleeing the scene of an accident without permission.