Bus collision triggers 32-vehicle pileup in Seongnam

A commuter bus collided with 31 other vehicles in Seongnam on Wednesday morning, triggering a 32-vehicle pileup that injured 57 people, including nine seriously, officials said. No deaths had been reported by 9:30 a.m., according to police. The crash happened in Bundang, south of Seoul, as vehicles waited at a traffic signal during the morning rush hour.

Fire officials said the injured were receiving treatment and that none of the nine seriously hurt were in life-threatening condition. At least five people were hospitalized, according to police. The reports did not specify whether that figure included everyone being treated for injuries.

The vehicles involved were four buses, a truck and 27 cars, according to police. The bus that started the pileup came to a stop after hitting a central guardrail, police said. Fire officials said the bus had struck 32 vehicles before hitting a median strip.

Police suspect a brake malfunction may have caused the crash. The bus driver told investigators the brakes had failed, according to Park Changgon, an official at Seongnam’s Bundang district police station. That account does not establish the cause, which remains under investigation.