Tag: accidents

A couple in their 30s were killed when a large construction truck fell sideways, crushing the couple’s minivan in Naju, South Jeolla Province, on April 29, 2017. (Yonhap)

Condolences to the families of these ROK sailors killed this week in what appears to be a horrible accident:

Three South Korean sailors were killed and another seriously injured in an apparent gas explosion Tuesday at a southeastern naval base, military officials said.

The blast occurred about 8:30 a.m. when the men were trying to open the hatch of a midget submarine undergoing repairs at South Korea’s Jinhae naval base, the officials said. The force of the blast tossed one of the sailors into the water.

Military authorities are investigating the cause of the explosion, but it appears to have been an accumulation of gas in the hull, the officials said.  [Stars & Stripes]

You can read more at the link.

I would have to think that alcohol probably had something to do with this tragic accident:

A couple fell to their death while kissing on a rooftop in Itaewon on Sunday.

According to the Yongsan police, at around 2 a.m., a 31-year-old man from the United States and a 26-year-old woman from South Africa accidentally fell from a three-story building while kissing precariously close to the banister.

Witnesses have reported that the woman fell first and the man, while attempting to catch her, fell after her.

The two were taken to the hospital but did not survive due to head injuries.  [Korea Herald]

Here is another preventable deadly safety related accident in South Korea:

Five people, including three children, died and two others were injured in a tent fire at a camping site in Incheon, a port city west of Seoul, early Sunday, police and fire officials said.

The fire broke out around 1:20 a.m. inside a 16 square-meter tent set up at a camping ground close to a beach on Ganghwa Island of Incheon, according to the officials. Those killed included a 37-year-old father, identified only by his last name Lee, and two of his sons, aged 11 and six, they said. Lee’s middle school friend, surnamed Cheon, and his seven-year-old son were also killed inside the same tent.  [Yonhap]

You can read more at the link.

After story of 106-car accident occurred on Incheon Yeongjong Bridge. Several errors found on injured list – … pic.twitter.com/IzV222V5mp

— YA KOREA (@yakoreacom) February 13, 2015

What a horrible way to die in what was a preventable accident:

An incident Thursday in which a zookeeper was mauled to death by two lions has led to growing calls for increased safety measures.

The 52-year-old zookeeper surnamed Kim was found fatally bleeding in the wild cats’ enclosure at Seoul Children’s Grand Park in Gwangjin District, northern Seoul.

Both lions, which were supposed to be locked up, were discovered wandering around the body, said another zoo worker surnamed Lee, who first came upon the scene at the enclosure, which measures 374 square meters, about 4,000 square feet.

In CCTV footage examined by the police, Kim appeared on screen alone after taking part in the zoo’s wild animal action development program, which is conducted two or three times a month to help exercise animals’ natural instincts.

During those exercises, workers typically throw raw meat or toys to the animals in their natural enclosures.

Police said Kim was working by himself and remained in the enclosure to clean it without realizing the lion cage was unlocked.  [Joong Ang Ilbo]

You can read more at the link.

A huge pileup due to foggy weather on the bridge leading from Incheon International Airport to Seoul has killed two people and injured dozens more:

Two people were killed and more than 60 others were injured on Wednesday as more than 100 vehicles piled up on a bridge near Incheon International Airport in foggy weather, police said.

The collision took place at 9:34 a.m. on the Seoul-bound side of the bridge linking the western port city with an island where the airport, South Korea’s main gateway, is located.

A total of 63 people were injured and taken to nearby hospitals. Ten of them were in serious condition, while two were in critical condition, authorities said.

Of the injured, seven were Chinese, three Thai, two Vietnamese and two Filipino. The other four foreign nationals were Japanese, Russian, Bangladeshi and Swiss, respectively.

One of the two Vietnamese victims was in serious condition, firefighters said.

The bodies of the two victims have been moved to hospitals in Goyang, a northern Seoul suburb, and western Incheon, respectively, police said. They were identified only as a 51-year-old surnamed Kim and a 46-year-old surnamed Lim.

Police said a taxi in the first lane bumped another taxi in front of it into the second lane. An airport limousine bus ran into the second taxi, causing a mass collision of cars behind it.  [Yonhap]

You can read more at the link.