SEOUL. In a traffic accident near Seoul’s City Hall Station in Jung-gu, at least nine pedestrians were killed and five others injured on the evening of July 1. The incident occurred around 9:30 PM when a vehicle drove onto the sidewalk at an intersection near Exit 12 of the station.
According to Seoul’s Namdaemun Police Station, witnesses reported that the vehicle was moving backward when it struck the pedestrians who were crossing the street. Emergency services quickly responded to the scene to attend to the victims.
Police have arrested a man in his 70s in connection with the accident. The driver claimed that a sudden acceleration caused the vehicle to veer onto the sidewalk. Authorities are currently investigating the precise circumstances surrounding the accident.
“A male driver in his 70s is believed to have hit pedestrians waiting at a traffic light,” a police official stated, adding that the number of casualties may increase as the investigation continues.
Further updates on the investigation and the condition of the injured are expected as authorities work to determine the full extent of the tragedy.
Gary P Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
