Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading

Fire on South Korean highway kills five, injures dozens

Smoke rises from a tunnel that was burnt down in Gwacheon, South Korea, December 29, 2022. Yonhap via REUTERS

A large fire on a major South Korean expressway spread quickly on Thursday, killing at least five people and injuring more than three dozen in heavy traffic before it was doused, emergency officials and media said.

Video images on social media showed a soundproof awning engulfed in flames soon after the fire broke out on the Second Gyeongin Expressway near Seoul, the capital, at about 1:49 p.m. (0449 GMT).

The heavy traffic made it difficult for vehicles to immediately escape the affected area, as the fire spread and a blast was heard, a witness told television broadcaster YTN.

Burnt trucks are seen inside a tunnel that was burnt down in Gwacheon, South Korea, December 29, 2022. Yonhap via REUTERS

Media said the fire appeared to have begun after a bus and a truck collided. But a fire official at the scene said its cause was still being investigated, although the fire had been put out.

Five people were killed with at least 37 injured, three of them seriously, an emergency official said.

(Reporting by Joyce Lee; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.