Dozens hurt in subway train crash

A subway train has smashed into another train stopped at a station in South Korea’s capital Seoul, causing minor injuries for scores of people.

The cause of the accident at the Sangwangshipri station wasn’t immediately known, officials said.

About 170 people were hurt and 32 taken to a nearby hospital, but there were no serious injuries.

The accident comes as South Koreans are criticising the government for lax safety practices that many feel contributed to a ferry sinking last month that left more than 300 people, mostly high school students, dead or missing.

Yonhap news agency said the stationary train had stopped because of mechanical problems.

The agency reported that a failure in the moving train’s automatic distance control system might have been responsible for the collision, but officials are still investigating.

Local media reported long delays in officials providing instructions to passengers about what to do.

That could strike a nerve in South Korea, where the captain in the April 16 ferry sinking that killed hundreds of people has been condemned for waiting 30 minutes to issue an evacuation order as the ship sank.