One Israeli killed, dozens injured in bus accident in South Korea

SEOUL

A bus carrying Israeli tourists overturned on a rural road in central South Korea, local police told AFP Friday, leaving one person dead and dozens more injured.

The bus carrying 33 Israeli tourists was travelling from the popular historic city of Gyeongju in the southeast to nearby Chungju when it flipped over late Thursday after taking a sharp turn, police said.

"The steep road caused the bus to slide down as it was changing gears, and it appears the driver lost control and hit the nearby trees, which caused it to flip onto its side," Chungju police told AFP.

Images in local media showed a coach with a broken windscreen lying on its side on a tree-lined road, with debris strewn around it.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem said that, according to South Korean officials, one Israeli woman had been killed, with the rest of the passengers injured, including some seriously.

The South Korean driver and tour guide were also injured and taken to hospital, local authorities said.

According to investigators, the Israeli passengers on the bus ranged in age from their fifties to seventies and had arrived in the country on April 6.

They were due to visit a national park in the northeast and depart the country on Monday after spending a day in an area of Chungju known for its spas.

South Korea's foreign ministry said it would provide all necessary support to the victims following a request from the Israeli embassy in Seoul.