Car pileup on bridge leaves 2 dead, 65 hurt

Two people were killed and more than 60 injured on Wednesday after a pileup in foggy weather, involving about 100 vehicles, on a bridge near the Incheon International Airport, South Korean officials said.

At least 65 people were injured, and that number could increase, said Byeon Tae-u of the Incheon Fire and Safety Management Department.

Seven Chinese were reportedly on the injured list along with five Thais, two Vietnamese, two Japanese, one Russian, one Bangladeshi and one Swiss.

Damaged vehicles on the Yeongjong Bridge in Incheon, South Korea, on Wednesday, after a traffic pileup in foggy weather, involving more than 100 vehicles, killed at least two people and injured more than 60 others. Park Jung-Ho / Reuters

Among the injured, seven people, including one Vietnamese, are in serious condition. No deaths were reported among foreigners.

Thick fog, icy road

Park Sang-yeoul, an official from the Incheon Seobu Police Station, said the damaged cars had been removed from the 4,400-meter cross-sea bridge carrying the highway from the airport to the capital Seoul.

He did not know the exact number of vehicles involved in the accident, but told reporters that it was about 100.

The crash occurred in the morning in a Seoul-bound lane and was likely aggravated by thick fog and icy road conditions, Byeon said. It was not immediately known what started the pileup.

Lee Gyeong-hoon, a 39-year-old driver whose car was involved in the crash, said he was driving slowly because the fog prevented him from seeing much more than 10 meters ahead.

"I saw the brake lights of the car in front of me turn on and I stopped abruptly," said Lee, whose car was hit from behind. He was able to open the door and escape to the side.

The foggy weather delayed the departure of 18 flights and the arrival of seven flights at the airport during the morning, said airport spokesman Cho Sang-hyun.

South Korea experienced a similar accident in 2006 when a 29-car pileup in foggy weather at another cross-sea bridge left 11 people dead and more than 50 injured.

Reuters-Xinhua