At least nine people were killed and four others injured when a car traveling the wrong way plowed into pedestrians near Seoul City Hall, police said.
Six people died at the scene and three were pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital, said firefighter Kim Chun-soo.
AFP
South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported that a 68-year-old driver drove into a crowd waiting at a red light.
According to Yonhap, he drove the wrong way and hit two other vehicles before hitting pedestrians.
AFP
One person was arrested by police after the tragedy, said Kim Suk-hwan, director of security and traffic in Jung-gu district.
Mr. According to Kim, an investigation is open to determine if drugs or alcohol were involved and if it was accidental acceleration.
AFP
Oh Se-hoon, the mayor of Seoul, expressed his grief over what he called a “very sad accident” when he visited, the municipality said. He asked the emergency services to “quickly take the victims to hospital and investigate the causes of the accident in detail”.
Traffic accidents with mass casualties are rare in South Korea, with generally well-maintained roads and vehicles.
