At least five killed in South Korea road tunnel fire | News

The blaze broke out after a freight truck collided with a bus on a freeway close to Seoul, injuring 37.

At the very least 5 individuals have been killed and 37 injured in a fireplace brought on by a freight truck colliding with a bus in a freeway tunnel close to the South Korean capital, Seoul, officers mentioned.

It was not instantly recognized what prompted the collision and the fireplace on Thursday and what cargo the truck was carrying.

The blaze erupted when the autos collided at about 1:50pm (04:50 GMT) in an expressway tunnel in Gwacheon, a fireplace division official informed the AFP information company.

Hearth officers mentioned the collision occurred inside a noise-barrier tunnel on the freeway. The raised tunnel is designed to guard surrounding buildings from the noise of the highway.

Three of the injured have been in critical situation, whereas 34 suffered gentle accidents, in keeping with the Nationwide Hearth Company.

Monumental plumes of fireside and thick smoke have been seen coming from the tunnel in pictures posted on native and social media.

A whole lot of firefighters managed to carry the blaze below management.

“We’re doing a search contained in the tunnel in case of further casualties,” a fireplace official mentioned.

About 20 persons are being handled for smoke inhalation, he added.

Inside minister Lee Sang-min known as for “most sources deployed” to avoid wasting lives, the Yonhap information company reported.

“I urge the authorities to place out the most effective efforts to avoid wasting the lives of those that haven’t escaped,” he mentioned.

In October, a minimum of 153 individuals have been killed in a Halloween crowd crush in Seoul’s Itaewon nightlife district.

A collection of preventable disasters – together with Itaewon and the Sewol ferry sinking which killed greater than 300 individuals in 2014 – has shaken public confidence. Many South Koreans have questioned whether or not security requirements have been sidelined and rules ignored within the  authorities’s rush for growth.