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| A high-speed KTX train hit four employees who were working on a track near Gimchun station in North Gyeongsang Province early Tuesday, killing two. The train was running late because of earthquakes that hit the nearby city of Gyeongju. / Courtesy of YouTube |
By Hong Dam-young
A high-speed KTX train delayed by Monday night's earthquakes has hit four track workers, killing two and injuring the others.
The accident happened near a KTX station in Gimchun, North Gyeongsang Province, about 12:49 a.m. Tuesday. It occurred a few hours after 5.1 and 5.8-magnitude earthquakes hit the city of Gyeongju in the same province.
The victims were on their regular night shift replacing gravel along the track when the train hit them, according to YTN.
There are usually no trains after midnight but the earthquakes caused delays.
After the accident, about 300 passengers had to be transferred to a following train.
Korea Railroad Corp. (KORAIL) officials blamed a safety breach for the incident rather than the earthquakes. They said the victims had been told not to enter the track.
Police and KORAIL officials are looking into the exact cause of the accident, focusing on safety management.
