The scene of a 44-vehicle pile-up on Jayu-ro, a major motorway connecting Seoul to its northern suburbs, as black ice made for hazardous driving conditions, early Tuesday (Jan 14, 2025) morning. - Photo: Gyeonggi Northern Fire and Disaster Headquarters
SEOUL: A series of car accidents were reported across Seoul and its surrounding roads on Tuesday (Jan 14) morning, which traffic authorities suspect were caused by black ice, a thin layer of ice on the road surface.
At least 14 people were injured in two major accidents, involving 44 and 43 vehicles, respectively.
At 5.16am on Tuesday, the 44-vehicle pile-up occurred near the Gusan Interchange on Jayuro-ro motorway in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province heading toward Paju.
The Gyeonggi Northern Fire and Disaster Headquarters reported that there had been four six-vehicle pile-ups, one three-vehicle collision, six two-vehicle collisions and five single-vehicle accidents.
The accident involved vehicles including trucks, buses and passenger cars. A 16-ton truck driver in his 40s sustained minor injuries and was transported to the hospital.
According to the fire agencies, the collision was likely caused by black ice, which formed due to the melting and refreezing of snow and rain last night.
Another multivehicle pileup was reported at approximately 5.50am, on the Seoul-Munsan Expressway in Goyang, heading toward Munsan.
This accident, also attributed to black ice, involved 43 vehicles. Thirteen people were transported to hospitals, including one person with serious injuries.
On the same expressway in the direction of Paju, there was an 18-vehicle pileup, resulting in two minor injuries. Both injured individuals were transported to the hospital for treatment.
Slick roads led to another chain-reaction collision at around 5.30am in Masong-ri, Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province. Two injuries were reported.
Fire agencies confirmed that icy roads appear to be the common factor in all the incidents.
The authorities, while responding by spreading calcium chloride on frozen roads, warned that patches of roads could remain slippery and urged drivers to exercise extreme caution when driving. - The Korea Herald/ANN
