Rainy and Icy Roads Across Gyeongnam Cause Numerous Dangerous Accidents... 2 Dead

Accident vehicle on the road near Namildae Beach, Sacheon-si, Gyeongnam. [Photo by Reader]

Due to snow and rain that fell overnight, various roads across Gyeongnam Province froze, causing a series of traffic accidents of varying severity.

According to the Gyeongnam Fire Headquarters, Changwon Fire Headquarters, and Gyeongnam Police Agency, at around 8:37 a.m. on the 10th, a passenger car slipped on a two-lane one-way road near the entrance of Namildae Beach in Sacheon City and collided with a bus waiting at a signal in the opposite lane.

The driver of the passenger car, a man in his 40s, was seriously injured and transported to the hospital but ultimately passed away.

At the time of the accident, the bus was carrying the driver and six passengers, but there were no additional casualties.

Traffic accident vehicle in Samrangjin-eup, Miryang-si, Gyeongnam.
[Photo by Reader]

At around 8 a.m. in Imcheon-ri, Samrangjin-eup, Miryang City, a 1-ton cargo truck slipped while driving on a one-lane one-way road, crossed the center line, and crashed into a utility pole on the opposite side.

The driver, a man in his 70s, sustained minor injuries, while an elderly woman in her 80s seated in the passenger seat died.

Vehicles involved in a traffic accident near Samdonggyo Bridge, Naedong, Changwon City. [Photo by Changwon Fire Headquarters]

Earlier, at around 6 a.m. near Jaedeok 2 Bridge in Nammun-dong, Jinhae-gu, Changwon City, four passenger cars following a stopped sports utility vehicle slipped on the wet road and collided one after another, injuring three people.

At 6:31 a.m. in Sinmun-dong, Gimhae City, a five-vehicle pileup occurred, resulting in minor injuries to two drivers.

At 7:30 a.m. on Namji Bridge in Namji-eup, Changnyeong County, six vehicles slipped on the road, causing a collision involving five cars and injuring two people.

In Geumnam-myeon, Hadong County, an SUV fell off the road, and in Naedong, Changwon City, and Yonghyeon-myeon, Sacheon City, a 1-ton truck hit roadside trees, among other single-vehicle accidents involving passenger cars occurring consecutively.

The previous night in Wondong-myeon, Yangsan City, three vehicles became stranded on snowy roads, and ten occupants were rescued by firefighters.

Firefighters are checking the driver of a vehicle that slipped and fell on a road in Hadong-gun, Gyeongnam.
[Photo by Gyeongnam Fire Headquarters]

Fire authorities and local governments responded by spreading sand and calcium chloride de-icing agents in accident-prone and accident-affected areas.

In sections where oil leaked due to accidents, oil-absorbing mats were laid to prevent contamination and fire hazards.

By 3 p.m. that day, 27 reports of traffic accidents on wet and icy roads had been recorded across Gyeongnam Province.

That morning, Gyeongnam Province sent out safety alert messages advising caution for road freezing and black ice caused by rain and snow, urging drivers to reduce speed on mountain roads, bridges, tunnel entrances and exits, and to maintain safe distances between vehicles.

The previous day, messages were sent warning of snowfall forecasts in the province, cautioning about icy roads and snow-covered surfaces, advising care to prevent damage to crops and facilities, preventing water pipe freezing, and being careful of fires caused by heating devices.