Five University Students Presumed Dead in Ski Club Fire Caused by Traffic Accident in Pyeongchang...

Estimated 4 Men, 1 Woman
Police Confirming via DNA Analysis and CCTV

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Gyumin] Five people, presumed to be college students in their 20s, died after a passenger car caught fire following an accident in Pyeongchang, Gangwon Province. According to fire authorities and the police, at around 1:23 a.m. on the 12th, a Grandeur passenger car collided with a guardrail near a bridge close to the roundabout in Yongsan-ri, Daegwallyeong-myeon, Pyeongchang-gun, causing a fire.

Firefighters who responded to a report of "the car catching fire" extinguished the blaze within about 20 minutes. Inside the completely burned car, five bodies were found, estimated to be four males and one female.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The police, based on statements from nearby witnesses, estimated that the deceased were members of a college ski club in their 20s who had visited a ski resort near the accident site. It is known that they had been visiting the area since early last month for winter training.

The accident vehicle was identified as owned by the parents of one of the deceased. At the time of the accident, temperatures in the Daegwallyeong area had dropped to minus 7 degrees Celsius, but the roads were not icy.

The police are conducting a detailed investigation to accurately identify the deceased. Due to the severe burning of the bodies, DNA analysis will be requested from the National Forensic Service. While focusing on determining the cause of the accident through nearby closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage, the police are also checking whether the deceased had consumed alcohol.