This is quite a tragic accident:

A tour bus tumbled off a mountain road in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, on Wednesday afternoon, killing 17 passengers and injuring 14 others.

The accident occurred at 5:40 p.m. at Hyeongok-myeon in Gyeongju, the ancient capital of the Silla Dynasty, some 370 kilometers southeast of Seoul.

The bus was carrying 31 passengers, including the driver — most of them in their 70s and 80s — who were returning from a trip to a hot spring resort in Ulsan City. The death toll is feared to rise further as some of the injured are in serious condition. Those injured are being treated at nearby hospitals.

Police are investigating the cause of the accident. The driver of the bus reportedly told investigators that the brakes were not functioning well before the incident occurred, and that the vehicle shook heavily from right to left just moments before plunging off the road.

The bus crashed into a guardrail on a steep downslope before skidding off a two-lane road and falling 30 meters.  [KBS Global via Brian in Jeollanam-do]

I have to wonder if this is one of the worst traffic related accidents in Korean history?  Off the top of my head I can’t think of an accident that had more fatalities than this.