Bullet train hits forklift, injures three

A KTX train is damaged after crashing into a forklift near Seoul Station, Monday. / Yonhap

By Kang Seung-woo

A high-speed train crashed into a forklift near Seoul Station, Monday morning, injuring three people who were repairing the tracks.

There were no casualties among the 149 passengers on board.

According to the fire authorities, the KTX train, traveling from Busan to Seoul, struck the construction equipment that was being used for track maintenance work along with the three workers at 1:10 a.m., 500 meters from the train station.

The three workers sustained head and leg injuries and were sent to a nearby hospital, but their injuries were not life-threatening, according to doctors there.

The accident also damaged the train's engine room and the forklift.

Right after the accident, the unharmed passengers and the KTX crewmembers disembarked from the train and walked to the platform along the train tracks according to the rescuers' instructions.

Korail, the operator of the bullet train, and police are investigating the cause of the crash and looking into why repair work was being carried out when trains were still in operation.

The Korail-operated KTX is one of two high-speed rail services in Korea. The second, SRT, was launched in 2016 by Supreme Railways.

The KTX runs between Seoul Station and major cities across the country, while the SRT connects Suseo Station in southern Seoul with major cities.