1.5t Cylindrical Cargo Hits School Route... 10-Year-Old Child Tragedy

Unloading After Stopping on Sloping Road
Residents Say "Why During School Commute Time?" Claiming It as a Man-Made Disaster

On the way to school at an elementary school in Busan, a 1.5-ton cylindrical cargo rolled down a slope and struck people, resulting in the death of one child and injuries to two children and one adult presumed to be a parent.

According to Yonhap News on the 28th, the Yeongdo Police Station in Busan announced that at around 8:22 a.m. on the 28th, a large 1.5-ton fishing net cylinder packaged in a cylindrical shape rolled down near an elementary school in Yeongdo-gu, Busan.

1.5-ton Cargo Truck That Rolled Down a Slope and Caused an Accident

The item was dropped during forklift unloading work at a factory located at the top of the sloped school route and reportedly rolled down about 100 meters.

The school route was a sidewalk fenced on both sides along a two-lane road, and the cargo is known to have broken through about ten fence panels as it rolled down to the accident site. As a result of the accident, three elementary school students and one woman in her 30s were injured.

A 10-year-old girl was taken to the hospital immediately after the accident but ultimately passed away. The other two elementary school students and the woman in her 30s sustained minor injuries and were transported to the hospital for treatment. Both the accident site and the factory are located within a designated school zone.

The police plan to investigate whether proper safety measures were taken by those related to the factory.

A police official said, "We are accurately determining the cause of the accident," adding, "Since the investigation is ongoing, we cannot provide specific details."

"Why at school arrival time?" Residents gather in small groups, expressing outrage

The slope on the way to school where the accident occurred. [Photo by Yonhap News]

Regarding this accident, nearby residents unanimously pointed out that it was a man-made disaster caused by working at the wrong place and wrong time.

In fact, the container truck and forklift involved in the unloading work that day were blocking one lane of the two-lane road completely during the operation.

Residents told Yonhap News in an interview that they had always felt uneasy because the work was being done on a steep slope, which is not a typical work environment. They especially emphasized that working during the time children go to school was clearly a mistake.

On the morning of the 28th, a cylindrical cargo rolled down a slope and covered the sidewalk in Yeongdo-gu, Busan. [Photo by Busan Police Agency]

Resident A said, "If you are going to block one side of the road and work on a dangerous slope, shouldn't it be done at least when children are not around or during late night hours when pedestrian traffic is low?" He added, "There is no space to turn the container truck, so sometimes the vehicle has to reverse down to a place where it can turn, which was very nerve-wracking."

Another resident B raised their voice, saying, "This is a place where accidents frequently happen because of the slope. Last year, a septic tank truck overturned, and there have been continuous accidents before that. I wonder if these geographical characteristics were considered in the work environment."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.