8 people die in crashes on treacherous roads

Eight people died in car accidents yesterday because of icy conditions on motorways in Sangju, North Gyeongsang. Another 22 people were injured.

In one accident, at about 4:30 a.m., six vehicles collided on the motorway connecting Sangju, North Gyeongsang, and Cheongwon, North Chungcheong. Seven people were killed and two were injured in the crash. Those injured were hospitalized for treatment.

The chain-reaction accident was triggered by a tanker truck skidding on the roadway - the driver was killed in the accident. Another driver of a cargo truck and all five people in a sedan were also killed after being hit by another tanker truck. A separate nine-vehicle collision occurred about 20 minutes earlier about 8 kilometers (5 miles) from the other crash site, injuring 22 people. The crash started a fire, destroying four cars and damaging four trucks. Meanwhile, one person died during an accident at about 6:20 a.m. near Sangju on the Jungbu Expressway. A mixture of rain and snow fell in the region at about 1 a.m. yesterday, leading to slick road conditions, authorities said.

By Yoo Sun-young [enational@joongang.co.kr]