At least 5 dead & more than 30 injured in expressway fire in South Korean city near Seoul

Among the wounded, 3 are reported to be in critical condition.

Keyla Supharta | December 29, 2022, 04:13 PM

Follow us on Telegram for the latest updates: https://t.me/mothershipsg

[Editor's note, Dec. 29, 6:35pm: An earlier version of this article reported that six people died from the fire, based on a Yonhap report. Yonhap later revised the number after rescuers corrected the death toll to five as one victim was counted twice. This article has since been updated to reflect the accurate number.] 

At least five people died in an expressway tunnel fire on a highway in Gwacheon, South Korea on Thursday (Dec. 29), reported Yonhap

At least 37 people were injured, Reuters reported.

The incident was first reported to the authorities at 1:50pm. The fire was believed to have started with a collision between a cargo truck and a bus outside of the tunnel.

A huge plume of smoke and orange flames could be seen in the above footage of the scene.

The casualties include passengers on the bus. Among the wounded, three are reported to be in critical condition.

Over 50 fire trucks and helicopters combined were dispatched to the scene of the disaster with 140 firefighters, following a second-stage emergency response order by the fire department.

Authorities are looking further into the degree of damage caused by the incident.

Top Image via @koryodynasty/Twitter