Pileup on highway in Gangwon leaves dozens injured

At least 82 people were injured after seven vehicles collided on a national highway in Gangwon on Friday. [GANGWON STATE FIRE HEADQUARTERS]

A seven-vehicle pileup — including school buses — on a national highway in Gangwon on Friday has left 82 people injured, including three seriously.

According to police and fire authorities, three buses, one passenger car and three trucks collided on a Seoul-bound national highway in Hongcheon County, Gangwon at around 1:26 p.m.

The three buses were reportedly carrying students and teachers from a middle school who were returning to Seoul from a three-day school trip in Pyeongchang, Gangwon.

Two students and one bus driver were seriously injured, with one student suffering eye pain and the others sustaining chest pain.

Some 50 personnel, including 11 police officers and a Disaster Medical Assistance Team, have been dispatched to the site.

Police and fire authorities are investigating the exact cause of the accident.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]