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

SEOUL (Reuters) -A large fire on a South Korean expressway on Thursday killed at least five people and injured nearly 40 caught in heavy traffic, 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 the capital Seoul at about 1:49 p.m. (0449 GMT).