At 12:26 AM on the 15th, a passenger car passing near the Tapjeong Reservoir road in Nonsan-si, Chungnam, fell into the reservoir, resulting in the deaths of five people in their 20s who were in the vehicle. The photo shows the accident scene. Photo by Yonhap News Agency and Chungnam Fire Headquarters.
[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] A tragic accident occurred in which five university students riding a shared car fell near a reservoir late at night, resulting in all of them dying.
At around 6:23 a.m. on the 15th, a passerby discovered and reported a broken guardrail at Tapjeong Reservoir in Gayagok-myeon, Nonsan-si, Chungnam, and a car bumper floating on the water. The car was identified as a shared vehicle.
The 119 rescue team dispatched to the scene recovered the bodies of two men from about 15 meters underwater, and then found three female bodies inside the car.
All of them were identified as students from the same department at a nearby university close to the accident site. It was reported that midterm exams were currently being held in that department.
The shared car carrying the deceased was last captured on a closed-circuit television (CCTV) near the accident site at around 12:23 a.m. on the same day. The police believe the car veered off the road and fell into the reservoir shortly after. This was less than 10 minutes after they had rented the shared vehicle on campus.
A police official stated, "So far, the accident is presumed to be due to inexperienced driving," adding, "There is no evidence that the students had consumed alcohol."
Meanwhile, the police plan to request an autopsy from the National Forensic Service to determine the exact cause of death.
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