Key Highlights
- Incident:A mechanical brake failure on a Seoul subway train caused heavy smoke.
- Emergency Response:Over thirty passengers treated for smoke inhalation.
- Service Disruption:Thousands of commuters stranded as service was suspended.
A mechanical brake failure on a packed commuter train generated heavy smoke inside an underground station in central Seoul early Thursday morning, sending hundreds of passengers fleeing through dark platforms and triggering a major medical response. The incident occurred around 8:10 a.m. local time during peak rush hour as a ten-car train pulled into the underground terminal along one of the city's busiest transit lines.
Friction from a seized brake shoe on the third carriage generated intense heat and thick, acrid smoke that quickly billowed through the open train doors and into the enclosed station platform. Automated fire alarms sounded immediately, prompting station managers to halt incoming train traffic and initiate emergency ventilation fans to clear the air.
"The train came to a sudden, jerking stop, and within seconds dark grey smoke filled the carriage through the air vents," said passenger Park Jin-woo, who was evacuated from the middle car. "People were coughing, covering their faces with coats, and crowding toward the exit doors in complete darkness."
Over twenty fire engines and dozens of ambulances deployed to the street-level station entrances, where paramedics established a triage zone on the sidewalk. Emergency workers treated over thirty passengers for severe smoke inhalation, supplying oxygen through masks before transporting critical cases to nearby university hospitals.
Seoul Metro officials suspended service along the affected underground segment, stranding thousands of morning commuters and causing severe crowding across connecting transit hubs. Police officers cordoned off station plazas to allow emergency vehicles unimpeded access to subterranean ventilation shafts.
Mechanical engineering units inspected the damaged carriage inside the station tunnel, focusing on hydraulic brake lines and friction pads that showed signs of severe heat discoloration. Public safety advocate groups raised immediate concerns regarding maintenance intervals for aging rolling stock operating on high-density urban lines.
"Our emergency crews acted swiftly to evacuate the platform and clear smoke using high-powered ventilation systems," stated Seoul Metro Safety Director Choi Sung-ho during a press conference outside the station. "We are pulling all trains utilizing this specific brake assembly for immediate technical inspections."
Technicians are currently working to tow the disabled train out of the station tunnel into a maintenance yard, while station staff clean soot-covered platforms before restoring normal transit service.
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