Chinese Tourists Halt Runaway Bus, Save Unconscious Driver in South Korea

Chinese tourists helped stop an airport bus traveling toward Incheon International Airport after its driver suddenly lost consciousness, then worked together to give CPR and call emergency services, reported Knews.

The incident happened at about 4:30pm local time on July 11, when a Route 6015 airport bus was nearing Terminal 1 of Incheon International Airport after leaving central Seoul.

A Chinese passenger who posted about the incident online, identified by the surname Wang, said passengers first heard the bus scraping against the roadside curb, making a sound similar to running over a speed bump. A woman near the front then shouted that the driver had fainted.

Several Chinese women rushed to the driver's area and worked together to bring the vehicle under control, Wang told reporters.

Another passenger, surnamed Sun, said she had been sitting in the second row behind the driver. After hearing the alarm, she ran forward and grabbed the steering wheel.

"The vehicle was already out of control," Sun said. "I quickly held the steering wheel and guided it toward the emergency lane. Another woman helped press the brake. We stopped the bus together and then pulled the handbrake to make sure it would not keep moving."

Sun said controlling the bus was the most urgent step because, at its speed, it could have overturned or been hit from behind.

After the bus stopped, passengers moved the driver into the aisle and took turns performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Sun said she could no longer feel the driver's breathing or pulse at the time.

Passengers also tried to call police. Wang said the first emergency call was difficult because of the language barrier. Sun, who was the only passenger on board who could speak Korean, later called again and told police that the driver appeared to have suffered cardiac arrest and that an ambulance was needed.

The bus had stopped close to roadside greenery, leaving the door blocked. Passengers used the emergency door-opening device to push the door partly open, allowing people on board to evacuate.

Police, highway patrol officers and emergency responders later arrived at the scene. The passengers were transferred to another vehicle and continued to the airport, Wang said.

The two interviewed passengers said there were roughly 10 to 20 people on the bus, most of them Chinese tourists.

The case drew attention on Chinese and South Korean social media after posts about the rescue spread online. South Korean media contacted the bus operator, which said it was still checking the details of the incident and the driver's condition.

Some South Korean social media users praised the passengers for staying calm despite the language barrier.