( Observer Network News) According to Yonhap News Agency reported on December 29, a fire broke out in a soundproof tunnel on the Gyeongin 2nd Expressway in Gwacheon City, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea on the afternoon of the 29th, causing at least 5 deaths and 37 injuries. Preliminary findings indicate that the fire started when a bus and a truck collided on the highway.
Screenshot of Yonhap News Agency report
reported that the fire occurred at around 1:49 pm local time on the 29th. Judging from photos from the scene, hundreds of meters of road were once engulfed in fire, with thick smoke billowing from the scene. A driver who passed through this section of the road at the time of the incident said that most drivers in the tunnel chose to abandon their cars and run away. "The fire was so big that there was no time to think about it."
Due to the large scale of the fire, the South Korean fire department dispatched a total of 94 fire trucks, 219 firefighters and helicopters, and finally completely extinguished the fire at 4:12 pm local time. The South Korean police dispatched 242 police officers to block both ends of the fire tunnel and guide other vehicles to detour, causing congestion on the surrounding roads.
's preliminary investigation into the accident showed that the fire was caused by a collision between a bus and a truck, and the fire caused by the accident subsequently spread to the inside of the tunnel.
Fire scene video screenshot
Rescue workers said that the accident had killed at least 5 people and injured 37 people, 3 of whom were seriously injured. As the search and rescue continues, it is not ruled out that the death toll will rise further. Yonhap News Agency also added that rescuers initially reported the death toll as six, but later corrected it to five because one victim was double counted.
Lee Jae-myung, deputy spokesman for the South Korean Presidential Office , said that South Korean President Yin Xiyue has instructed government departments to thoroughly investigate the accident scene to ensure that there are no additional casualties and to provide comprehensive medical assistance to the rescued personnel. Yin Xiyue also asked relevant departments to analyze the cause of the accident, inspect soundproof tunnels and similar facilities, and take measures to prevent such incidents from happening again.
Yonhap News Agency stated that the South Korean government has planned to further determine the exact cause of the fire after the fire is under control.
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