UPDATE - Tunnel fire in South Korea kills 5, injures 37 others

UPDATES FATALITIES AND INJURIES; CHANGES HEADLINE, DECK; EDITS THROUGH

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) - At least five people were killed and 37 injured during a fire inside a tunnel expressway in South Korea on Thursday, according to local media.

The incident happened in a noise barrier tunnel in the city of Gwacheon, just south of the capital Seoul, Yonhap News reported.

Earlier, authorities said six people died in the incident, but later revised the figure, registering five fatalities.

The injured people are currently under treatment at hospitals, they added.

Investigators are probing whether the fire started after a collision between a bus and a truck, with the fire spreading inside the tunnel, which connects South Korea’s western port city of Incheon to the city of Seongnam.

A massive rescue and relief operation is going on, with around 50 fire trucks, 140 fire personnel, and helicopters.