By Kim Se-jeong
An explosion on a five-ton truck carrying inflammable lubricants on a highway near Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, Thursday, raised calls for setting up a control system on trucks transporting volatile materials and their drivers.
Thursday's incident killed three, including the driver, and injured five others.
The incident began as the truck collided with the median divider. The truck burst into flames due to its inflammable cargo and drums began falling off the truck, crossing the median strip and hitting cars in other lanes. Nine vehicles on the other side of the road caught fire.
Speaking with Joongang Ilbo, one of the nine other drivers said, "I heard the explosion, but it was so fast that drums of lubricant bounced off the median strip to hit my car."
On Friday, 20 inspectors visited the site of the incident to examine the initial cause of the accident.
More than 100 drums on the truck contained lubricants and police suspected their weight amounted to more than 5 tons. The driver was 76 years old.
Critics argue Korea needs a system through which authorities can see and track the transport of volatile materials to prevent similar incidents.
The government estimates almost 41,300 trucks are currently authorized to carry sensitive materials.
According to Rep. Song Seog-jun of the conservative Liberty Korea Party, the number of incidents involving trucks delivering hazardous materials or chemicals was 35 in 2013 and 30 in 2014.
There are laws on handling volatile materials on the ground ― petroleum and inflammable materials under the National Emergency Management Agency, gasoline by the trade ministry and hazardous chemicals by the Ministry of Environment ― but not for those on the move.
The good news is that 300 trucks carrying volatile materials will be monitored starting in March under a new government initiative. It's unclear how long it will take to cover all trucks.
That the driver was elderly raised another question about the lack of qualifications for truck drivers.
The driver had 16 years of experience but it was his first time carrying lubricants. He was an independent trucker, rather than belonging to the lubricant manufacturer, which said it had contracted the delivery to a third company.
An explosion on a five-ton truck carrying inflammable lubricants on a highway near Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, Thursday, raised calls for setting up a control system on trucks transporting volatile materials and their drivers.
Thursday's incident killed three, including the driver, and injured five others.
The incident began as the truck collided with the median divider. The truck burst into flames due to its inflammable cargo and drums began falling off the truck, crossing the median strip and hitting cars in other lanes. Nine vehicles on the other side of the road caught fire.
Speaking with Joongang Ilbo, one of the nine other drivers said, "I heard the explosion, but it was so fast that drums of lubricant bounced off the median strip to hit my car."
On Friday, 20 inspectors visited the site of the incident to examine the initial cause of the accident.
More than 100 drums on the truck contained lubricants and police suspected their weight amounted to more than 5 tons. The driver was 76 years old.
Critics argue Korea needs a system through which authorities can see and track the transport of volatile materials to prevent similar incidents.
The government estimates almost 41,300 trucks are currently authorized to carry sensitive materials.
According to Rep. Song Seog-jun of the conservative Liberty Korea Party, the number of incidents involving trucks delivering hazardous materials or chemicals was 35 in 2013 and 30 in 2014.
There are laws on handling volatile materials on the ground ― petroleum and inflammable materials under the National Emergency Management Agency, gasoline by the trade ministry and hazardous chemicals by the Ministry of Environment ― but not for those on the move.
The good news is that 300 trucks carrying volatile materials will be monitored starting in March under a new government initiative. It's unclear how long it will take to cover all trucks.
That the driver was elderly raised another question about the lack of qualifications for truck drivers.
The driver had 16 years of experience but it was his first time carrying lubricants. He was an independent trucker, rather than belonging to the lubricant manufacturer, which said it had contracted the delivery to a third company.
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