Nine dead in Seoul after car hits pedestrian

South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported that a 68-year-old driver drove into people waiting at a traffic light.

He was driving in the wrong direction and hit two other vehicles before crashing into the pedestrians, Yonhap said.

A man was arrested by police over the incident, said Kim Suk-hwan, security and transportation director of the city’s Jung-gu district administration.

An investigation is ongoing to determine whether drugs or alcohol were involved and whether the fatal incident was caused by unintended acceleration, Kim said.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon spoke of “a very sad accident” during his visit to the crash site, according to city authorities.

He also called on officials to “take the victims to hospital quickly and thoroughly investigate the cause of the accident.”

Fatal traffic accidents with multiple victims are rare in South Korea; the country’s roads and vehicles are generally in good condition.

hs/rsc/bjt