A commuter bus struck 32 vehicles and a median strip in Seongnam, just south of Seoul, during Wednesday morning rush hour, injuring dozens, according to the fire department of Gyeonggi Province. The Seongnam bus crash left nine people seriously hurt, officials said.
According to DW, the bus hit the vehicles, which were stopped at a traffic light, before slamming into the median strip. The Gyeonggi Province fire department said 57 people were injured, nine seriously, and none were in life-threatening condition. The Hindu also reported, citing the same fire department, that at least 57 people were being treated for injuries.
The driver told investigators the brakes on his bus had failed, according to a report by Yonhap News Agency, which DW cited. The driver, believed to be in his 60s, tested negative in a breathalyzer test, according to DW. The brake-failure account is the driver’s claim and has not been independently confirmed.
DW also reported that Yonhap had given a lower figure of 48 injured, six seriously. The sources do not explain the difference between that count and the fire department’s figure of 57 injured. The Yonhap figure was available only as reported by DW, not from the original Yonhap report.
Dozens of fire personnel and vehicles were deployed, and an emergency medical station was set up at the scene. According to The Hindu, photos from the scene showed the bus perched on the median strip with a shattered windshield and other damaged cars.
The city of Seongnam has a population of nearly 900,000 and lies just south of Seoul. Investigators are continuing to probe the cause of the collision, including the driver’s claim that the brakes failed. No official finding has been reported, and no response from the bus operator or the driver’s representatives is included in the sources. Police questioning of the driver is reported only through The Hindu’s citation of a Bundang district police official.
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This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.