DERAILMENT OF KTX TRAIN

[Anchor Lead]

A Busan-bound bullet train that departed from Seoul on Wednesday derailed in Yeongdong, Chungcheongbuk-do Province. Seven passengers sustained injuries. All of the passengers were safely evacuated.

[Pkg]

The moment this KTX train enters a tunnel, a powerful blast occurs and sparks fly into the train windows. Passengers scream in terror. The accident caused cracks in train windows, and there were fragments of broken glass in toilets.

[Soundbite] Choi Han-min(Passenger) : "It was like an explosion. Windows were broken, and everyone was on the floor as if there was an earthquake."

One of the cars of this bullet train carrying some 300 crew members and passengers derailed at around 12pm Wednesday. The train departed from Seoul Station and was heading to Busan. It went off the tracks and ground to a halt after crashing into an unidentified object while passing through the Yeongdong Tunnel in Chungcheongbuk-do Province. Seven passengers sustained injuries. One of them was transported to a nearby hospital. KORAIL says it's obvious the train crashed into an object, but it's still unknown what it was.

[Soundbite] (KORAIL Official) : "The accident happened due to a collision with an unidentified object in the tunnel."

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport dispatched officials to the scene to find out the exact cause of the accident and to investigate possible problems in response measures.