A pileup involving more than 100 vehicles on the Yeongjong Bridge in Incheon on Wednesday killed at least two and injured dozens.

The accident occurred at around 9:40 a.m. on the Seoul-bound lanes of the bridge that connects Incheon’s Yeongjong Island -- location of Incheon International Airport -- to Korea’s mainland.

The accident is thought to have been caused by heavy fog lowering visibility.

Eyewitnesses have told the local media that the fog had lowered visibility to between 15 to 50 meters at the time of the accident.

According to the emergency services, at least two people have been killed and more than 20 people suffered serious injuries, some of whom are said to be in critical condition. 

A number of people are said to have sustained minor injuries, and the casualties are expected to rise with some passengers remaining trapped inside vehicles at 11:25 a.m. Of the injured, five have been confirmed as being foreign nationals, the emergency services said.

The accident caused a tailback extending for more than a kilometer, hampering emergency services’ access to the site and crippling traffic.

According to reports, the emergency services were first alerted to a four-way crash, but additional vehicles were unable to evade those involved in the initial accident.

The authorities are trying to determine the exact cause of the accident, and attempting to verify witness accounts that the initial collision involved a passenger vehicle and a bus.



By Choi He-suk (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)