Two people killed, four injured in multiple collision involving a tanker truck on a highway in South Korea

On the 17th, a multiple collision involving a tanker truck, a truck, and a passenger car occurred on the Sangju-Yeongcheon Expressway. The truck driver and two others were killed in the accident.
Four people were injured. Traffic in the surrounding area was restricted in both directions for three hours. According to the Gyeongbuk Police Agency and fire department, the incident occurred at around 3:12 a.m. in Sangju, Yeongcheon City, Gyeongbuk.
A 26-ton tanker truck traveling in the first lane toward Sangju near the Shinnyeong IC on the Yeongcheon Expressway (63.7 km point) collided with a 25-ton truck traveling in the second lane.
After that, a 14-ton truck collided with the rear of the tanker truck, and eight other vehicles, including a 2.5-ton truck, a passenger car, and a bus, which were traveling behind the tanker truck, also collided with each other.
In this accident, fire broke out in the tanker truck, 14-ton truck, and 2.5-ton truck. In addition, when a multiple rear-end collision occurred in the direction of Sangju, an H-shaped steel beam loaded on a truck was thrown in the opposite direction.
The debris fell toward Yeongcheon. Three vehicles, a passenger car, a tanker truck, and a 13-ton truck, tried to avoid it, but crashed into retaining walls, guardrails, and other objects, resulting in further accidents.
A multiple collision and collision that occurred today on both sides of the Sangju-Yeongcheon Expressway has resulted in the deaths of two truck drivers and four injuries, according to an investigation.
The fires that broke out in three vehicles, including a tanker truck, were completely extinguished at 5:40 a.m. Currently, traffic is restricted in both directions near the accident site on the Sangju Yeongcheon Expressway due to the ongoing investigation.
A police official said, "It is understood that the driver of the tanker truck involved in the rear-end collision had not been drinking, and the cargo loaded on the tanker truck was bunker C heavy oil, which is not at risk of explosion."
"The exact circumstances of the accident and the number of injured people need to be further confirmed," the company said.