The fire engulfed nine vehicles on both sides of the road. The blazes had been extinguished approximately 40 minutes after the incident.

Police said the oil containers apparently fell off the truck on the highway leading up to Changwon Tunnel as it crossed over the center line and hit the median strip. The oil drums then crashed into the vehicles on the opposite side of the road, exploding upon impact.

Firefighters initially said that four people died due to the explosion, including an infant. They later corrected the initial report to three fatalities and no infant among them. It is likely to take time to identify the victims as the bodies are severely damaged, they said. 

Police said the truck’s brakes may have malfunctioned, based on witness testimonies that the vehicle was zigzagging on the road shortly before the crash.

By Bak Se-hwan (sh@heraldcorp.com)