Nine dead after car plows through pedestrians in Seoul
Dramatic scenes unfolded on Monday evening in front of City Hall in Seoul. A car drove into pedestrians at a crosswalk after colliding with two other cars. Six people died on the spot, and three more succumbed to their injuries in the hospital, reports Reuters.
According to police, the number of fatalities from this accident may still rise, as some of the injured are in serious condition.
It was determined that a 68-year-old man was driving the car. He appeared to be driving against traffic.
Even though people collapsed (after being hit by the car), the person in the passenger seat was only concerned about the driver and mentioned that there were clothes in the trunk (to use for applying pressure to the wounds). If only they had applied pressure quickly to those hit by the car, at least one person could have been saved. That one person probably died, recounted Park Sung-il, who witnessed the accident, in an interview with Reuters.
At the scene, authorities set up barriers separating pedestrians and cars from the accident site. People began bringing flowers to commemorate the victims.
Cho Hyun-ho runs a shop near the accident site, also by City Hall. He learned about the incident from his daughter, who called him.
(My daughter) called me because I run a store in front of the city hall. So I asked her what the accident was, and I heard it was a big accident, I mean, the car crash happened. This is how I found out. My heart at that time is still... breaking (filled with grief), he confessed.
Car drives into crowd in Seoul. Investigation ongoing
According to local police, the causes of this tragic accident are still being investigated.
The 68-year-old man detained by police claimed that his car "suddenly accelerated." In South Korea, the maximum speed in urban areas is 31 mph, while in densely built-up areas, it is 19 mph.
