Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport: "Mugunghwa-ho Derailment Recovery to be Completed by 4 PM"

"All Personnel and Recovery Equipment Deployed, Full Effort to Resume Operations"

Due to the aftermath of the Mugunghwa train derailment that occurred the previous day, subway Line 1 operations are disrupted. On the 7th, at the transfer section of Sindorim Station in Guro-gu, Seoul, police are guiding citizens along safe routes. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Min-young] The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 7th that all available personnel and recovery equipment have been deployed at the site of the Mugunghwa train derailment accident at Yeongdeungpo Station, making every effort for swift recovery and resumption of operations.

The recovery from the SRT derailment accident that occurred last July was completed by 7 a.m., but the recovery from this accident is expected to be finished by 4 p.m.

Regarding this, the Ministry explained that the current accident involved six derailed cars, which is more than the two cars in the previous SRT accident, and that the box-type electric poles made it difficult to use cranes to place the vehicles back on the tracks.

Deputy Minister Eo Myeong-so held an emergency countermeasure meeting at the Korea Railroad Corporation headquarters in Daejeon the day before and arrived at the accident site near Yeongdeungpo Station that morning to inspect the recovery situation.

Deputy Minister Eo said, "Most accidents, including this one and the Obong Station accident on Saturday, could have been prevented by simply following basic safety rules," and urged, "Please adhere strictly to work procedures to ensure safety while recovering as quickly as possible." He also instructed, "Pay special attention to providing information and publicity about train delays and to the aftercare of the injured."

Earlier, at around 8:52 p.m. on the 6th, a Mugunghwa train derailed near Yeongdeungpo Station. The Mugunghwa train, carrying 275 passengers, had departed Yongsan Station at 8:45 p.m. and was heading to Iksan Station.

The accident resulted in 34 injuries, with 21 of them transported to hospitals for treatment. Passengers walked approximately 150 meters from the accident site to Yeongdeungpo Station. Additionally, the blockage of the down line caused significant disruptions to the operation of some Gyeongbu and Honam Line trains, including KTX and Saemaeul trains.

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