"Save me, please"... The last KakaoTalk message from the underpass victim on their first vacation after employment

On the Second Day After Leaving for His First Summer Vacation Since Getting a Job This Year,
He Was Found Dead on the Bus

The last message of An Mo (24), who was on bus number 747 and died during the flooding accident at Gungpyeong 2 Underpass in Osong, Cheongju, Chungbuk, has been revealed.

An, who was on his first summer vacation after getting a job this year, sent a message to an acquaintance saying "Please save me," which has caused sorrow.

The last message of An Mo (24), who was on bus number 747 and died during the flooding accident at Gungpyeong 2 Underpass in Osong, Cheongju, Chungbuk, has been revealed.
[Photo by JTBC]

According to a report by JTBC on the 18th, at the time of the accident, An was on his way to Osong Station, having promised to travel to Yeosu with friends. An kept in contact with friends who arrived earlier, saying "I'm almost there," "The road is blocked, so we're taking a detour," and "In front of Osong Station underpass."

Later, as water began to fill the bus, realizing the emergency, An sent multiple messages saying "Please save me," "Driver, please," along with photos showing water filling the bus.

Friends sent messages like "What is that?", "Are you okay?", "Where are you?" but An did not respond afterward. The next day, An was found dead inside the bus. An's family expressed sorrow, saying, "We never thought that the trip with friends to celebrate getting a job would be the last."

On the 15th, at Gungpyeong 2 Underpass in Osong-eup, Heungdeok-gu, Cheongju City, heavy rain caused the Miho River embankment to break, allowing river water to flood in and submerge 17 vehicles including city buses. At that time, bus driver Lee Mo (58) broke a window and led passenger evacuation but was ultimately found dead inside the bus. The accident resulted in 14 deaths and 10 injuries.

In response, the police have launched an investigation to determine the cause and responsibility of the accident. The dedicated investigation team of the Chungbuk Police Agency announced on the 19th that "We have interviewed 15 people including eyewitnesses at the accident scene, nearby village residents, and rescuers, and have secured black boxes from 17 submerged vehicles and are currently working on data recovery."

Chungbuk Province and Cheongju City are engaged in a dispute over responsibility. The police plan to obtain disaster preparedness manuals and staff lists from these local governments to verify why the underpass was not controlled.

If the two institutions do not properly cooperate, there is a possibility of conducting a search and seizure. The police are expected to investigate why the local governments did not control vehicle access despite prior warnings of danger.