A public bus collided with 31 other vehicles in Seongnam’s Bundang district on Wednesday at approximately 7:34 a.m., resulting in nine serious injuries, 48 minor injuries and the hospitalization of the bus driver.
What vehicles were involved?
The crash involved a total of 32 vehicles: four buses, one truck and 27 passenger cars. According to the National Fire Agency, the public bus first struck cars waiting at a traffic light before slamming into a median barrier, causing extensive front‑end damage.
How did emergency services respond?
The agency dispatched 88 personnel and 33 emergency vehicles to the scene. An on‑site medical station was set up to treat victims, and rescuers worked to free the driver, who was later taken to hospital. KBS reported, "The driver was hospitalized after emergency workers freed him from the vehicle."
What is known about the cause?
Police have not yet determined why the collision occurred. Investigators plan to review the bus’s black‑box recordings and nearby CCTV footage, looking for evidence of mechanical failure, driver error or other factors.
Impact on traffic and public transport:
The incident caused significant congestion in the surrounding area as authorities cleared the wreckage. South Korea’s extensive public‑transport network relies heavily on buses for daily commuting, and the crash has revived discussions about road safety and the risks posed by large‑scale vehicle collisions.
Next steps:
Officials will continue to analyse vehicle data, surveillance video and witness statements to reconstruct the sequence of events. No official findings have been released, and the precise circumstances that led the bus to strike the other vehicles remain under investigation.
The accident underscores the importance of stringent safety checks and driver training for public‑transport operators, especially in densely populated urban corridors such as Bundang.