Passenger train strikes trackside crew in South Korea, leaving two dead

Two railway workers were killed and four others seriously injured on August 19 after being struck by a passenger train in the southeastern South Korean city of Cheongdo, local authorities confirmed.

The incident took place at around 10:50 a.m. near the Cheongdo Bullfighting Stadium when a Mugunghwa train travelling to Jinju in South Gyeongsang Province hit a group of seven workers who were inspecting structures on a slope adjacent to the tracks, police and the state-run Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) told Korean media.

Emergency services transported the victims to a nearby hospital, where two of the workers were pronounced dead. Four others sustained serious injuries, while one worker suffered only minor wounds.

The train was carrying 89 passengers at the time of the collision, none of whom were reported injured.

KORAIL stated that the workers had been dispatched to carry out inspections of the trackside slope following recent heavy rainfall in the Cheongdo area.

Officials have launched an investigation to determine the precise circumstances and cause of the accident.

By Tamilla Hasanova