3 dead, 5 seriously injured in truck crash in S Korea

SUNCHANG, South Korea. KAZINFORM A small truck rammed through a crowd of about 20 people in the southwestern county of Sunchang on Wednesday, leaving three people dead and five others seriously injured, Yonhap reports.

The 1-ton truck carrying fertilizer crashed into the crowd in the parking lot of a local agricultural cooperative building in Sunchang, 244 kilometers south of Seoul, at 10:30 a.m. while an election for a cooperative head was under way. The victims were waiting in lines to cast ballots

The accident left three people dead, including an 80-year-old person, with 17 others injured, five of them seriously. They were all sent to the hospital for treatment, according to fire authorities.

Casualties could grow further, as the victims are mostly in their 70s and 80s, authorities said.

The 74-year-old driver was arrested at the scene and put under police investigation.

Police tentatively concluded the accident was caused by the driver's maloperation and were looking into the exact cause.

A police official quoted the driver as saying he mistook the accelerator for the brake.