32-vehicle pileup injures 57 in South Korea

SEOUL – A bus crashed into vehicles that were waiting at a traffic signal in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, on the morning of Nov 11, triggering a 32-vehicle pileup that injured 57 people.The crash occurred at around 7.34am (6.34am Singapore time) near a busy intersection in Bundang. Nine of those injured were in serious condition, and at least five people were hospitalised. No deaths had been reported as of 9.30am local time.Four buses, a truck and 27 cars were involved. The bus that triggered the pileup came to a stop after hitting a guardrail in the centre of the road. Police suspect a brake malfunction may have caused the crash.Fire authorities dispatched 88 personnel and 33 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 150m long. Most of the damaged vehicles had been removed from the scene by 9.30am local time.The bus driver was taken to a hospital. Police said they would conduct a more detailed investigation later because the driver had been hospitalised. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK