By Lee Kyung-min
Speeding might have caused Wednesday’s bus accident in Jian, northeastern China, which killed nine Korean civil servants and injured 16, according to government officials, Friday.
This comes after Chinese local media released a surveillance camera recording of the accident where the bus veered off a bridge and fell 15 meters into a river.
In the 10-second footage, the bus attempts a sharp left turn at the corner of a road before the bridge. The bus was seen leaning to one side before crashing into the bridge rail and plummeting.
“After watching the footage and having an on-site inspection, a Chinese traffic official from the region said the plunge might be due to inexperienced driving,” a Korean government official said.
It may take more time for an exact cause of the accident to be revealed because Chinese authorities are still conducting an investigation. Faulty brakes have not been ruled out as another possible cause, authorities added.
“We don’t plan our own investigation,” an official from the Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs said. “Our top priority for now is to recover and transport the victims’ bodies to Korea, which may take some time.”
A government team dispatched there will discuss with the victims’ families how to move the bodies to Korea. The families may have to decide either to bring the bodies to Korea or cremate them in China.
The victims were part of a 140-person delegation from the municipal governments of Seoul, Busan, Incheon, Gwangju, and Gyeonggi, Gangwon and Jeju provinces. They were on a government-organized training program to China. A Korean tour guide and the Chinese bus driver were among those killed.
Of the 16 survivors hospitalized, eight have serious injuries, and one is in critical condition, according to the ministry. The rest sustained minor injuries and are expected to leave the hospital in about a week.
The others who had been on the trip returned to Korea late Friday. Upon arrival, they were allowed to take a week off to rest, and will resume the training program on July 9.
Further post-traumatic treatment will be determined later if needed.
Meanwhile, discussion is also underway about a posthumous promotion of the nine deceased officials.
Under the law, public servants who die while on duty are entitled to receive one-rank posthumous promotions. Government compensation for their families is also expected.
"After receiving approval from local governments, we will decide on special promotions,” the official said.
Local governments have set up memorial altars to commemorate the dead.