Safety investigation underway on hydrogen bus explosion

[Anchor]

This morning (Dec. 23), a bus that had just finished refueling at a hydrogen charging station in Chungju, North Chungcheong Province, suddenly exploded, injuring three people.

The city of Chungju has suspended all operations of hydrogen buses and is investigating the exact cause of the accident.

Reporter Lee Ja-hyun has the details.

[Report]

People gather behind a bus that has completed hydrogen refueling, checking its condition.

Moments later, a tremendous explosion occurs, tearing the rear cover of the bus into pieces and causing startled people to flee in confusion.

The shock from the explosion threw a person who was behind the bus to the ground.

[Hyun Wan-ho/Director of Climate Energy Department, Chungju City: "After the bus completed refueling, the bus started, and about 10 seconds later, an explosion occurred at the rear of the vehicle."]

As a result of the accident, a 30-year-old employee of a bus inspection company was seriously injured, and two others, including the bus driver and a charging station staff member, are receiving treatment at the hospital.

The bus had recently shown abnormalities in its fuel cell components and was scheduled for inspection.

[Yoon Yoo-seop/Executive of the Bus Company: "A fault code was detected, and upon scanning with our equipment, we were advised to send it to the Hyundai Motor AS center."]

To determine the cause of the explosion, a joint investigation is being conducted by the police and the Korea Gas Safety Corporation.

[Hong Seung-woon/Director of Disaster Safety Department, Korea Gas Safety Corporation: "Since we certify high-pressure containers and valves, we will investigate whether there are any abnormalities in those areas as well."]

Immediately after the accident, Chungju City suspended the operation of 18 hydrogen buses and decided to also investigate whether there were any issues with the quality of the hydrogen.

Some hydrogen charging stations in Chungju had previously suspended bus operations entirely after substandard hydrogen was supplied in November last year.

This is KBS News, Lee Ja-hyun reporting.