A chain-reaction accident involving 13 vehicles, including a tank truck, occurred on an expressway in the southeastern city of Yeongcheon, killing two people and injuring four others.
The accident occurred on a bridge near the Shinnyeong interchange on the Sangju-Yeongcheon expressway in North Gyeongsang province, at 3.12am local time yesterday, when a 26-tonne tanker truck loaded with 24,000 litres of bunker C oil rear-ended a 25-tonne cargo truck, according to police.
Afterward, a 14-tonne truck rear-ended the tanker truck, leading to a chain of collisions among seven other vehicles, including passenger cars and a bus.
Several H beams loaded on one of the trucks fell on the opposite lane, causing a passenger car, another tanker truck and a 13-tonne cargo truck to crash as they tried to avoid the fallen objects.
Police said two passenger car drivers and one truck driver were killed, and four others were injured in the accident.
They added that there were about 20 passengers on the bus, but none were reported injured.
The accident caused three vehicles to catch fire – a tanker truck, a 14-tonne cargo truck and a 2.5-ton cargo truck – but they were completely extinguished in two hours and 30 minutes.
Police said oil from one of the tanker trucks involved in the accident flowed into nearby rice paddies and waterways. — The Korea Herald/ ANN
