The site of a 44-vehicle pileup on Freedom Road in Goyang is shown in this photo provided by the Fire Services, gyeonggi Province, Jan. 14. Yonhap
Nine people were injured after 43 cars were involved in a pileup on an icy highway near a junction in Goyang, just north of Seoul, officials said Tuesday.
The accident occurred at 5:50 a.m. on the Seoul Munsan Expressway headed for Munsan, leaving nine drivers hospitalized.
Police and firefighting authorities have cordoned off the road to handle the accident.
"The pileup occurred due to black ice, and it led to other single accidents in trailing vehicles, severely congesting the road," a police official said.
Another series of pileups involving 44 trucks, buses and cars occurred at 5:15 a.m. on a freeway near Gusan Interchange in Goyang, headed for Paju.
They included four 6-car pileups, one 3-car pileup and six 2-car pileups.
A 16-ton truck driver was taken to a hospital with minor injuries, while the other drivers sustained abrasions.
Authorities blocked off entire roads near the accident area and scattered calcium chloride on icy roads.
Meanwhile, seven cars collided with each other on a road in Gimpo, just west of Seoul, at 5:30 a.m., injuring two drivers, who were later treated at a hospital.
Police suspect a truck collided with a car from behind, triggering the pileup with the other vehicles. (Yonhap)
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