Ten South Korean passengers returning from a trip to China were burned to death in a blaze that gutted a tourist bus in an expressway traffic accident near the southeastern city of Ulsan, police said Friday.
The bus carrying 20 people caught fire after slamming into the concrete guardrail on an expressway near Ulsan, about 290 (180 miles) southeast of Seoul, at 10:11 pm (1311 GMT) Thursday, police said.
The passengers from a retired community of Hanwha Chemical Co. and their spouses were on their way to Ulsan from an airport in Daegu after returning from a trip to China. Seven were hospitalized for injuries. Firefighters and police have retrieved ten charred bodies.
Footages released by expressway authorities showed the bus losing control after making a sudden change in its course. Flames were seen shooting up from the rear after the bus smashed into the guardrail three times during its turbulent 200-meter run.
The 48-year-old driver surnamed Lee was detained for questioning to see if the accident was caused by a human error, although he blamed a flat tire.
Aju News Lim Chang-won = cwlim34@ajunews.com
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
