11 injured in subway explosion

By Jun Ji-hye

An explosion that occurred on a subway train approaching a station south of Seoul left 11 people injured, police said Monday.

An insulator exploded around 6:56 p.m. as the train was entering Gunpo’s Geumjeong Station on Line 4, breaking some windows and injuring people on the platform.

Officials said the injured were immediately taken to hospital.

It is unknown whether there were any additional casualties.

“It appears that the accident occurred when an insulator linking the train to the electrical supply equipment suddenly exploded,” said an official of the train's operator, KORAIL, adding that the exact cause has yet to be established.

The train was moved to a garage after all passengers exited at the station and subway services on the same route were resumed about 20 minutes later.

The accident came after two subway trains collided earlier this month at Sangwangsimni Station on Line 2, reportedly due to a signal error. The collision, which injured 246 people, led police to raid the headquarters of Seoul Metro in Seocho, along with three other offices.

A series of accidents following the sinking of ill-fated ferry Sewol, which killed hundreds of passengers, have raised safety issues nationwide.

The latest, which came hours after President Park Geun-hye addressed the nation over the Sewol disaster, detracted to some extent from her statement in which she pledged to create a safer nation.

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