This afternoon, a van driven by a driver in his 60s rushed toward a tourist on Udo Island, Jeju.
Three people died and 10 were injured in this accident. The driver reportedly claimed a ‘sudden acceleration accident’.
This is reporter Cho Seung-hyeon.
[Reporter]
This is in front of the Cheonjin Port waiting room in Udo, a famous tourist destination in Jeju.
People walking on the street look back and quickly run away.
At that very moment, a white van drives by at frightening speed.
After hitting a car and two motorcycles that were standing, it only came to a halt after hitting concrete steps and a sign post.
The accident occurred around 2:50 this afternoon.
The van that was getting off the boat and entering Udo Island suddenly rushed into the area.
[Witness: I think it would be at least 70 to 80 kilometers per hour.
The scene turned into chaos as the speeding van hit the tourists.
Three people, including a man in his 70s and a man in his 60s who were hit by a car while walking on the street, and a woman in her 60s who was also in the van, were taken to the hospital with serious injuries, but all died.
Ten people, including the driver of the van, a man in his 60s, also suffered major and minor injuries.
[Witness: He ran at a rapid pace and hit the person… They said he went after hitting a few people.]
In fact, it is known that the driver of the van claimed to the police that he accelerated suddenly.
The van was a rental car with a total of 6 people in it, and it was confirmed that the driver was not driving without a license or under the influence.
[Police official: When we detected him blowing on it, it came out that he was not drinking.]
Police plan to investigate the circumstances of the accident with the driver who was taken to the hospital.
We decided to entrust the vehicle analysis to the National Institute of Forensic Science.