Seoul, Nov 17 A chain-reaction accident involving 13 vehicles, including a tank truck, occurred on an expressway in the southeastern city of Yeongcheon early Monday morning, killing two and injuring four others.
The chain rear-end collisions occurred on a bridge near the Shinnyeong interchange on the Sangju-Yeongcheon expressway, about 320 kilometres southeast of Seoul, at 3:12 a.m., when the 26-ton tank truck loaded with 24,000 litres of bunker C oil rear-ended a 25-ton cargo truck, according to police.
Afterwards, a 14-tonne truck rear-ended the tank truck, leading to a chain reaction of collisions among seven other vehicles, including passenger cars and a bus, Yonhap News Agency reported.
Also, several H beams loaded on one of the trucks fell on the opposite lane, causing additional collisions of a passenger car, another tank truck and a 13-ton cargo truck, 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 some 20 passengers to the bus were not injured.
The accident resulted in fires in three vehicles -- a tank truck, a 14-ton 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 tank trucks involved in the accident flowed into nearby rice paddies and waterways.
On Sunday, South Korea's Prime Minister Kim Min-seok instructed the Seoul city government to conduct a joint probe with the interior ministry into a recent river bus accident and draw up necessary safety measures.
On Saturday, one of the boats that runs on the water bus service along the Han River came to a stop near a dock in southeastern Seoul while passing through shallow waters. All 82 passengers aboard were safely rescued by police and fire authorities.
Kim expressed grave concerns over the overall safety of the service, including whether the Seoul city government had factored in topographic circumstances when choosing the locations for stops and operation routes, according to Kim's office.
In a statement, the city government apologised for causing inconvenience to the public and vowed to more thoroughly inspect the operation. All safety response measures were normally carried out following the incident, it added.
The water bus service is a key project launched by Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, but it has faced criticism over its safety, mainly from the ruling bloc.
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