2 dead, 18 hurt in South Korea after truck crashes into market

A light truck crashed into a market in South Korea on Thursday, ploughing 150 metres along a passageway lined with stalls before coming to a halt, killing two people and injuring 18, according to emergency officials and media reports.

The incident took place at a market located in Bucheon, about 20 km west of the capital Seoul, a fire official told a televised briefing.

Two people who had suffered cardiac arrest were later confirmed to have died, the Yonhap News Agency said.

The truck appeared to reverse for 28 metres before accelerating towards the outdoor market, the fire official said.

The driver had blamed a sudden surge of acceleration for the incident, he said.

The driver was not under the influence, a police official said at the briefing.

Authorities would hand the vehicle over to investigators to try to determine the cause of the crash, the official said.

CCTV footage aired on Korean television showed shoppers going about their business at an outdoor market before a blue truck accelerated along a passageway lined by stalls and crashed into one of the stores.

Police had arrested the driver who was in his 60s and he was being questioned, Yonhap said.