ABSENCE OF SAFETY MEASURES AT ULTRAMARATHON

[Anchor Lead]

Police have arrested a DUI suspect involved in a fatal accident at the Ultramarathon in Icheon last Thursday. They are investigating if the organizer of the event took proper precautionary measures. Videos taken by spectators prior to the accident show participants running precariously on a dark road.

[Pkg]

​Three marathoners were killed in a DUI accident in Icheon, Gyeonggi-do Province, early last Thursday. About six hours prior to the tragedy... A car can be seen hurtling along a dark road. Moments later it sounds the horn while swaying. It barely avoids hitting a marathoner that the driver spots at the last minute.

[Soundbite] "They are doing it again!"

Although the marathoners have red flickering lights on their backs for safety, they are hard to spot from afar. Some of the them even run on the motorway. One of the drivers who just managed to avoid the runners eventually reported them to the police.

[Soundbite] (VOICE OF PERSON REPORTING TO POLICE) : "I almost got into an accident. They have lights on their backs, but they are running on the motorway. It's dangerous."

However, there were no safety agents to guide the runners even when the accident occurred.

[Soundbite] (PERSON WHO REPORTED MARATHONERS TO POLICE) : "It's hard to spot them from 50 meters away. You can only see them when they're right in front of you. There are no safety agents. Other drivers also slammed their brakes and had to change lanes abruptly."

The organizer of the marathon sent a notice saying it had obtained approval for using the road, but police say the runners were only allowed to use crossings and sidewalks. When police received a report, a patrol car was dispatched to the scene to have the marathoners run on the sidewalk. However, they apparently stepped on the motorway again later. Police are investigating whether or not organizers failed to take proper precautionary measures.