5-vehicle pileup in Sejong-Pocheon Expressway tunnel kills 1, injures 8

A chain-reaction crash involving five vehicles — two sedans, two SUVs and a van — occurred inside the Godeok Tunnel on the Sejong-Pocheon Expressway in Hanam, Gyeonggi Province, around 2:20 p.m. Saturday, heading toward Pocheon.

A man in his 60s riding in a K5 sedan was rushed to a nearby hospital in cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead.

Eight other drivers and passengers sustained minor injuries and are receiving treatment at area hospitals.

The accident began when a Trajet sedan rear-ended a K5 sedan traveling ahead of it in the first lane. The impact set off a multi-vehicle pileup as other vehicles traveling in front of and behind the two cars collided in succession.

Lanes one and two near the crash site were temporarily closed to allow emergency crews to clear the scene but have since fully reopened.

Police are investigating the precise cause, looking into the possibility that the Trajet driver failed to keep a proper lookout while traveling through a congested stretch of the tunnel.