A bus crashed into vehicles that were waiting at a traffic signal in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, on Wednesday morning, triggering a 17-vehicle pileup that injured 57 people.
The crash occurred at around 7:34 a.m. near a busy intersection in Bundang. Nine of those injured were in serious condition, and at least five people were hospitalized. No deaths had been reported as of 9:30 a.m.
Two buses, a truck and 14 cars were involved. The bus that triggered the pileup came to a stop after hitting a guardrail in the center of the road. Police suspect a brake malfunction may have caused the crash.
Fire authorities dispatched 45 personnel and 18 vehicles to the scene, and police officers also responded. The crash caused heavy congestion around the intersection, which is near a residential complex.
The collisions happened along a stretch of road about 100 to 150 meters long. Most of the damaged vehicles had been removed from the scene by 9:30 a.m.
The bus driver was taken to a hospital. Police said they would conduct a more detailed investigation later because the driver had been hospitalized.
forestjs@heraldcorp.com
