Two Killed, 90 Injured in Daegu Train Crash

A passenger train slammed into a freight train parked at a station in Daegu on Friday, killing at least two people and injuring some 90 others. Some of them are believed to be critically injured.

4-year-old Lee Seok-hyeon and 34-year-old school teacher Lee Young-gyeong were those confirmed dead, according to police. The injured were taken to nearby hospitals such as Gyeongbuk University Hospital and Sungsam Hospital for treatment.

The commuter train from Kimchon, North Kyongsang Province was carrying about 170 passengers when struck the stationary freight train at about 7:10 a.m., five minutes after its departure from East Taegu Railroad Station.

The accident site was under construction for the opening of express railway service in April next year. Without knowing that the freight train was on the route, the engineer of the passenger train ran past Gomo Station only to find the train only 40 meter ahead.

The engineer of the freight train apparently thought that trains were under automated operations. So he moved ahead and stopped repeatedly, while operations were done based on radio communication.

The sixth car was badly damaged but not overturned. Passengers remained trapped inside train cars as orange-clad rescue workers trying to free people squeezed between seats.

Police are suspecting a lack of radio communication between the trains was the cause of the accident, and trying to determine the exact cause of the accident.

The Korea National Railroad (KORAIL) continued its rescue efforts until late afternoon and normalized operations at 1:50 p.m. about six hours after the accident.

choi@donga.com boriam@donga.com