1 Dead in Highway Rear-End Collision; Fires Break Out Nationwide

[Anchor]

Late last night (October 28) near the Bukcheonan Interchange in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, a driver in his 50s died after crashing into a passenger car ahead of him. A fire also broke out yesterday evening at an apartment building in Nowon-gu, Seoul, claiming the life of a resident in his 70s.

We have a round-up of overnight incidents and accidents with reporter Kang Min-u.

[Reporter]

With four out of five highway lanes blocked, workers are busy hooking a wrecked compact van up to a tow truck.

At around 9:15 PM yesterday, a compact van crashed into a passenger car traveling ahead of it near the Bukcheonan Interchange on the Gyeongbu Expressway toward Seoul.

Following the collision, the van overturned. The male driver in his 50s suffered severe injuries and was rushed to the hospital in cardiac arrest, but ultimately passed away.

Police believe the van slammed into the passenger car, which was traveling slowly in the third lane, and are currently investigating the exact cause of the accident.

---

Thick, gray smoke fills an apartment hallway.

At around 6:26 PM yesterday, a fire broke out at an apartment building in Nowon-gu, Seoul.

The blaze started inside a unit on the seventh floor, where a man in his 70s was found dead inside the home.

Fire authorities deployed some 20 pieces of equipment and around 90 personnel, extinguishing the fire about 40 minutes after receiving the report.

Police are investigating the exact cause of the fire, keeping the possibility in mind that it may have started from a cigarette butt.

---

Around the same time in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, a fire broke out on the first floor of a three-story row house.

A police officer who arrived at the scene first after receiving a report was helping residents evacuate when smoke spread, trapping the officer along with a woman in her 80s on the second floor before they were rescued by firefighters.

The woman inhaled smoke and was transported to the hospital for treatment.

Fire authorities suspect the fire originated from an electric heating pad.

(Video Editing: Park Na-young, Footage provided by viewer Song Young-hoon, Nowon Fire Station in Seoul, and Cheongju Dongbu Fire Station)
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.