[Anchor]

A series of accidents occurred on the Yeongdong Expressway early this morning (October 24). A couple was killed after three vehicles collided sequentially, and a police officer handling a traffic accident scene was struck by a truck and severely injured.

Reporter Jeon Yeonnam has the details.

[Reporter]

The road is littered with debris, and a vehicle is smashed beyond recognition.

At around 2:20 a.m. today, three vehicles collided one after another near the Saemal Junction on the Yeongdong Expressway in Hoengseong-gun, Gangwon Province.

Police understand that a minivan first rear-ended a passenger car ahead in the first lane, and then an SUV subsequently crashed into the minivan. In the process, a couple in their 70s and 60s riding in the minivan died, while three others, including a woman in her 70s in the minivan, were injured.

Police believe that the couple had stepped out of their vehicle to check the situation after the initial accident when they were struck by the SUV, and are currently investigating the exact cause of the accident.

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At around 4:00 a.m. today, a police officer in his 50s was injured while handling an accident scene near the Yeoju Rest Area on the Yeongdong Expressway in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province.

The police officer was controlling traffic and handling the scene after a truck and a passenger car collided and caught fire, when he was struck by a 6.5-ton truck, sustaining major injuries to his ankle and other parts of his body, according to authorities.

Kim Jong-chul, Acting Commissioner General of the Korean National Police Agency, instructed authorities to "spare no support for the injured police officer's treatment, rehabilitation, and recovery to daily life."

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At around 11:50 a.m. today, a fire broke out at a junkyard in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province.

Fire authorities issued a Level 1 response, deploying two firefighting helicopters, about 30 minutes after receiving the report, and brought the flames under control in about five hours.

Workers inside the junkyard evacuated on their own in the early stages of the fire, and it was confirmed that there were no casualties.

At one point, the city of Pocheon sent out an emergency text message advising vehicles to detour due to the massive amounts of black smoke generated by the fire.

(Video Editing: Shin Se-eun, Footage Courtesy of: Pocheon Fire Station, Song Young-hoon)