Today (29th) at around 1:50 pm, a total of 5 deaths have been confirmed as a result of a fire near the Bukuiwang IC of the 2nd Gyeongin Expressway in Galhyeon-dong, Gwacheon-si, Gyeonggi-do.



The fire department once counted the number of deaths at 6, but it was confirmed that one person had been double counted, so it was corrected to 5 people.



Some of the dead were believed to have been found inside vehicles.



As of 4:20 pm, 3 serious injuries such as facial injuries and 34 minor injuries such as simple smoke inhalation were confirmed.



According to the Gwacheon Fire Department, a fire broke out after a traffic accident between a bus and a truck.



Afterwards, it is known that the embers spread toward the soundproof tunnel.



The fire department caught a big flame at 3:18 pm, about an hour and a half after the fire broke out.



Previously, the fire department received a report at around 1:50 pm and arrived at the scene at 2:08 pm, 18 minutes later.



After that, the first level of response was issued in 3 minutes, and the warning was raised to the second level of response at 2:22 pm, 11 minutes later.



As the fire subsided, it was readjusted to the first level of response at 2:34 pm.



The fire department is mobilizing 190 manpower, 55 pieces of equipment, and firefighting helicopters to extinguish the flames.



The police also put in 242 experienced people to search for people and identify the victims.



Due to this accident, both directions near the North Uiwang IC of the 2nd Gyeongin Expressway are completely controlled.



The police and fire authorities plan to investigate the exact cause of the fire and the extent of the damage as soon as the fire is extinguished.



(Photo = informant Jeon Yoon-kyung, Shin Jun-gil, Shin Young-bae, Shin Ki-han)