A commuter bus struck more than 30 vehicles stopped at a traffic light during the morning rush hour on Wednesday in Seongnam, just south of Seoul, injuring dozens of people, fire officials in South Korea said.
At least 57 people were being treated for injuries, including nine who were seriously hurt, although none were in life-threatening condition, according to the fire department of Gyeonggi province, which governs Seongnam.
The bus collided with 32 vehicles before slamming into a median strip, fire officials said.
Earlier, the fire agency said that it had set up an emergency medical station at the scene to treat the injured.
Most of the damaged vehicles had been cleared from the scene by 9.30am local time.
Fire authorities deployed 88 personnel and 33 vehicles to respond to the crash, The Korea Herald reported.
Photos from the scene showed the bus perched on a median strip with a shattered windshield and other damaged cars.
Police were questioning the bus driver, who tested negative on a breathalyser test and told investigators that the brakes had failed, according to Park Chang-gon, an official from Seongnam’s Bundang district police station.
The bus driver was also injured and taken to hospital after being freed from the vehicle, broadcaster KBS reported.
The pileup caused heavy traffic congestion around the intersection, which is close to a residential complex.
Police plan to investigate the cause of the crash by examining black box recordings from the damaged vehicle and CCTV footage, broadcaster SBS reported.
(With inputs from Reuters)
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