Police to detain driver after crash kills two in South Korea

South Korean police were seeking to keep in custody a truck driver who crashed into a traditional market, killing two and injuring 19, the force told AFP Friday.

The crash occurred a day earlier when a man in his sixties drove his one-ton cargo truck into shoppers and street market stalls in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province.

Police have requested that traffic and forensic authorities analyse the vehicle’s event data recorder to help determine what happened.

“We have sought an arrest warrant for the suspect on charges of causing death and injury under the Act on Special Cases of Traffic Accidents,” a local police official told AFP.

We questioned the suspect for about two and a half hours yesterday,” the official said, adding that the warrant request reflected “the seriousness of the offence”.

The vehicle had initially reversed before surging forward over around 130 metres (around 425 feet) into narrow streets, according to a police report.

Most of the people injured were aged between 50 and 70, according to the National Fire Agency.

Local media reported that the suspect claimed to suffer from moyamoya, a rare blood vessel condition, for which he was taking prescribed medication.

But he insisted the illness “has nothing to do with driving and does not affect my ability to drive”, according to the reports.

Deadly transport accidents with multiple casualties are rare in South Korea, which generally has well-maintained roads and vehicles.

AFP