A car plowed into a crowd of people, killing at least nine people in the South Korean capital, Seoul. The traffic accident occurred on Monday (1/7), at around 21:30 local time. Among the victims in the incident, it was confirmed that there were no Indonesian citizens (WNI).
“Based on the coordination carried out by the Indonesian Embassy in Seoul with related parties, there were no Indonesian citizens victims in the incident,” said the Director General of Protection of Indonesian Citizens and Indonesian Legal Entities, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Judha Nugraha when asked by Media Indonesia, Tuesday (2/7).
As reported by Yonhap news agency, Tuesday (2/7), a man believed to be in his 60s crashed his vehicle into pedestrians waiting at a traffic stop. At least four other people have been taken to hospital.
Police said they were investigating the incident, but warned the death toll might rise.
“The car was traveling in the wrong direction and hit two other vehicles before hitting the pedestrian,” local media reported, as quoted by the BBC, Tuesday (2/7).
Police said the accident occurred at an intersection near Seoul City Hall. The driver in question, who was arrested at the scene, reportedly told police that his car suddenly sped up.
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Six people died at the scene, while three others died later from their injuries. Yonhap reported the arrested man was 68 years old.
The speed limit in the country is 50 km/h on public roads in urban areas, and 30 km/h in residential areas, according to the latest report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on the country’s road safety.
In 2022, pedestrians in South Korea accounted for 35% of all road deaths. That’s a high number compared to other OECD countries, the agency reported.
But in the same report, the OECD highlighted that road deaths in the country have declined in recent years. (Z-11)
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