A public bus ploughed into dozens of vehicles during the morning rush hour in South Korea on Wednesday, leaving nine people seriously injured and 48 others with minor injuries, according to the country’s National Fire Agency.
The crash happened in the Bundang district of Seongnam, a city just south of the capital Seoul, at around 7:34 in the morning. The bus struck vehicles waiting at a traffic light before crashing into the barrier in the middle of the road, the fire agency said, citing a witness account.
In total, 32 vehicles were caught up in the pile-up, including four buses, a truck and 27 passenger cars. Photographs from the scene showed the mangled front of the bus resting against the central barrier, surrounded by damaged cars.
Large emergency response
The fire agency said it sent 88 personnel and 33 vehicles to the scene and set up an emergency medical station to treat the injured. The nine people with serious injuries were taken to hospital, along with dozens of others who suffered lighter injuries.
The bus driver was also hurt in the crash and had to be freed from the vehicle before being taken to hospital, according to the broadcaster KBS. No deaths had been reported by the time officials gave their update.
Bundang is a large residential district in Seongnam, just south of Seoul, and its roads carry heavy commuter traffic into the capital each weekday morning. The crash happened at one of the busiest times of the day, when many of the vehicles on the road were carrying workers and schoolchildren.
Emergency crews worked at the scene for hours, treating the injured at a medical station set up beside the road before moving the more seriously hurt to nearby hospitals. Traffic in the area was badly disrupted while wreckage was cleared and the damaged bus was removed from the barrier.
Investigation under way
Police said they would investigate the cause of the crash, including by examining black box recording data from the damaged bus and footage from nearby CCTV cameras, the broadcaster SBS reported.
Officials have not yet said what caused the driver to lose control of the bus. The crash brought traffic in the busy commuter district to a standstill while emergency crews cleared the wreckage and treated the injured at the roadside.
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