- It would have originated when a truck and a bus collided on the Gwacheon highway, south of Seoul.

Black smoke billows from a noise barrier tunnel in South Korea.

At least 5 dead and 37 injured by a fire in a tunnel in South Korea

At least five people died and 37 others were injured, three of them seriously, on Thursday in a fire in a tunnel along a highway in Gwacheon, south of Seoul, according to the South Korean fire service.

The fire started at 1:49 a.m. inside a tunnel in Gwacheon, on a highway connecting the port city of Incheon with the city of Seongnam, according to authorities.

According to the first investigations, the fire would have originated when a truck and a bus collided, which caused flames and significant clouds of smoke throughout the tunnel and the death of five people inside their vehicles, including the two drivers of the collision.

Another 37 people were injured by smoke inhalation, three of them seriously, according to authorities, adding that the death toll could rise depending on the outcome of the rescue operation.

A total of 94 trucks and 219 firefighters were deployed in the area, as well as helicopters, and the fire was brought under control at 3:18 p.m.

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