Nigeria cracks down before WEF event

4 May 2014 Last updated at 01:20

Nigerian security forces have detained several people in Abuja over recent bomb attacks, days before a World Economic Forum event in the capital.

Most of those held were said to be foreign, but no details were announced.

Officials have ordered schools and government offices to close during the WEF event, which be attended by the presidents of Rwanda, Senegal and Kenya as well as Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.

The government is under pressure to tackle widespread unrest.

An explosion late on Thursday killed 19 people, two weeks after a nearby bombing left 75 dead.

No group has said it carried out the attacks, but Islamist militant group Boko Haram is being blamed.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said those detained on Saturday were being interrogated and had provided "useful information."

Boko Haram is also believed to be behind the kidnapping of more than 200 teenage girls from their school in Borno state in north-eastern Nigeria more than a fortnight ago.

President Goodluck Jonathan is due to give a national address on Sunday after criticism of his handling of Islamic militants.

Boko Haram has staged a wave of attacks in northern Nigeria in recent years, with an estimated 1,500 killed in the violence and subsequent security crackdown this year alone.

But recent bomb attacks in Abuja, including one on 14 April that Boko Haram admitted to, have raised fears that the militants could be trying to expand their area of operation.

On Saturday the US warned its citizens of a plan to attack one of two Sheraton hotels near Lagos, Nigeria's main commercial hub.

In a statement on its website, the state department said those behind the plot were "groups associated with terrorism", but gave no further details.

President Goodluck Jonathan's government says 5,000 police and soldiers will be deployed for the WEF on Africa, which begins on Wednesday.

The official reason for closing all schools and government offices in the capital is to ensure traffic flows smoothly.

But the BBC's Will Ross in Abuja says security concerns are also a likely reason, with fewer vehicles on the roads enabling stricter searches and cutting potential targets for further bomb attacks.

The government minister said the security measures were aimed at calming nerves but told Nigerian media the focus on returning the abducted girls to their families was "much more important".

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Day of mourning for Afghan mudslide

4 May 2014 Last updated at 09:21

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David Loyn describes "tragic scenes" from an Afghan hillside, as landslide survivors fight over bread

The Afghan government has declared a day of national mourning for hundreds of people killed when a mudslide engulfed their village on Friday.

Badakhshan provincial governor Shah Waliullah Adib told the BBC there was now no hope for more than 2,000 people believed buried in their homes.

Officials formally ended the search for survivors on Saturday.

Mechanical diggers had left Ab Barik village without being used because the site was inaccessible.

The BBC's David Loyn says it is unlikely that there will be any serious effort made to recover the bodies.

Metres of mud

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

I witnessed an argument between a large group of men over a sack of bread"

End Quote

At least 2,000 people were in their homes when a mountain collapsed and covered the area in mud and rocks.

A further 600 people are also missing after rushing to help with the rescue effort and being caught in a second landslide.

Rudimentary efforts by locals to dig into the soft mud with shovels were quickly abandoned.

A few hundred survivors have spent a second night out in the open, although blankets, tents and basic food aid have now arrived.

Correspondents say they have demanded that government officials resettle them elsewhere because they do not want to return to the village where so many lie buried.

"We cannot continue the search and rescue operation any more, as the houses are under metres of mud," Mr Adib said.

Continue reading the main story

Online reaction

There has been an unprecedented response from young Afghans across the country on Facebook to the landslide in Badakhshan. In Pashto, Dari and English, they are writing: "Badakhshan we are with you, we are mourning your sorrow".

Others have changed their profile pictures to the remote village of Ab Barik - now the main topic being discussed among a majority of Afghans.

Funds have been set up for victims by many Afghans in and outside the country.

Others on Facebook have castigated what they call a slow government response and for failing to warn people in the province.

Senior Afghan officials have also been castigated after group photos of them visiting the affected areas appeared on Facebook, showing some laughing.

"We will offer prayers for the victims and make the area a mass grave."

'Absolutely devastating'

Heavy rain is believed to have triggered the two landslides, which hit on Friday morning.

Friday is a day of rest in Afghanistan, meaning whole families would have been at home at the time.

"The scale of this landslide is absolutely devastating, with an entire village practically wiped away," said Richard Danziger, from the International Organization for Migration, which is providing aid to the village.

"Hundreds of families have lost everything and are in immense need of assistance."

One survivor, Zia ul-Haq, told reporters: "My family, including my child and all my belongings are buried here."

Mountainous Badakhshan, which borders Tajikistan, China and Pakistan, is one of the poorest regions in Afghanistan.

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Ukraine PM blames Odessa police

4 May 2014 Last updated at 09:40

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Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk: "These security forces [in Odessa] are inefficient and violated the law"

Ukraine's PM has blamed the country's security services for failing to stop violence in the southern city of Odessa that left more than 40 people dead.

Arseniy Yatsenyuk told the BBC there would be "full, comprehensive and independent investigation".

Most of the victims were pro-Russian separatists who died in a fire after barricading themselves in a building.

The PM's comments came as Ukrainian troops surrounded the pro-Russian stronghold of Sloviansk in the east.

'Real war'

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

They took our own city from us. Fascists!"

End Quote Odessa resident

Mr Yatsenyuk said of the Odessa violence: "I personally blame the security service and law enforcement office for doing nothing to stop this crackdown."

Mr Yatsenyuk said: "These security forces are inefficient and they violated the law."

He said the police chief of the Odessa region had been removed and that the prosecutor's office had started an investigation.

"The prosecutor's office is to investigate everyone - starting with the chief of police, his deputies and every single police officer."

Some 42 people died in Odessa on Friday, most of them in the fire at the Trade Unions House, where separatist protesters had barricaded themselves following running battles with pro-Kiev activists.

Mr Yatsenyuk blamed pro-Russian groups for "provoking the unrest".

He accused Russia and pro-Russian protesters of orchestrating "real war... to eliminate Ukraine and eliminate Ukrainian independence".

Asked about pro-Russian groups who have taken over many buildings in towns in the east, Mr Yatsenyuk said: "We haven't entirely lost the control... much will depend on the local population, whether they support peace and security."

Ukrainian troops have encircled Sloviansk as the government seeks to wrest control from the separatists.

The BBC's Sarah Rainsford, in the regional capital Donetsk, says that while it appears the Ukrainian forces have sealed off the roads in and out of the town, they are moving around it and concentrating on smaller towns nearby.

Our correspondent spoke to a resident of Sloviansk who said people there were expecting it to be stormed.

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

It appears for the moment that the Ukrainian troops are leaving aside the stronghold of Sloviansk. Kiev talks of it being encircled and the fighting does appear to be concentrated in towns outside.

I spoke to one person last night in Sloviansk who said people there were extremely nervous. They were expecting the place to be stormed and that it could be their last night in control, with heavy fighting. But that did not happen.

We have seen pro-Russian groups in Donetsk and Luhansk and places to the south of here reacting very angrily to the deaths in Odessa - trying to take over government buildings once again.

Gunfire was reported overnight in Kostyantynivka, where one separatist checkpoint was dismantled, and Mariupol as Ukrainian forces tried to reclaim government offices.

There had been heavy fighting in the town of Kramatorsk on Saturday, with the interior ministry saying the army had retaken a television tower.

Kiev officials said at least two people were killed in the town, although Russian state television reported 10 deaths.

Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council chief Andriy Parubiy said on Sunday that the military would expand the "active stage of the operation in towns where extremists and terrorists are carrying out illegal activities".

Ukraine's President Viktor Yanukovych was overthrown by pro-Western protesters in February.

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Pro-Russian activists break into a building in Donetsk as a response to the deaths in Odessa

Russia then annexed the Crimean peninsula - part of Ukraine but with a Russian-speaking majority - in a move that provoked international outrage.

Are you in Odessa or eastern Ukraine? How have you been affected by the recent violence? You can email your experiences to haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk using the subject line 'Ukraine unrest'.

Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.

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China bridge collapse kills 11

4 May 2014 Last updated at 11:03

A bridge has collapsed in southern China, killing 11 people, state media and officials say.

The stone arch bridge was being constructed illegally at a village in Gaozhou City, Guangdong province, the officials said.

It collapsed on Saturday, killing five people instantly, while six died later in hospital.

Authorities are investigating the incident. The contractor has been arrested, state media report.

The bridge was being built in Liangkengkou village in Gaozhou.

Twenty-six people were trapped under the bridge when it collapsed, officials said.

Survivors were taken to hospital after being pulled from the rubble.

"I feel much better now. I could not even open my eyes when I was taken to hospital in Shenzhen township," Qin Zechu, one of the survivors, said.

Government officials said the village had been ordered to stop building the bridge several times.

However, the village secretly restarted construction over the May Day holiday, which ran from Thursday to Saturday, they added.

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Obama calls for death penalty review

3 May 2014 Last updated at 00:44

US President Barack Obama plans to ask Attorney General Eric Holder to investigate problems surrounding the application of the death penalty.

The US leader's announcement comes just days after a botched execution in Oklahoma drew widespread attention.

Mr Obama called inmate Clayton Lockett's prolonged death earlier this week from an improperly delivered lethal injection "deeply troubling".

The president said he has conflicting feelings regarding the death penalty.

"This situation in Oklahoma I think just highlights some of the significant problems," Mr Obama told reporters.

Americans should "ask ourselves some difficult and profound questions around these issues", he added.

Mr Obama, trained as a lawyer, said the death penalty is warranted in some cases - including child and mass murder - but its application in the US is problematic.

Buried alive

At issue are evidence of racial bias and potential exoneration of some inmates, he said.

The US leader said he will task Mr Holder with providing "an analysis of what steps have been taken, not just in this particular instance, but more broadly in this area".

Meanwhile, Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin has ordered an "independent review" of the state's execution protocols, saying the state's department of public safety would lead the inquiry.

Prison officials in Oklahoma inserted lethal drugs into Lockett's groin after failing to find a vein elsewhere.

They took 51 minutes to find a suitable vein and did not realise the one they chose in his groin had collapsed.

The inmate succumbed to a heart attack 10 minutes after his execution was stopped, as he writhed and mumbled.

Lockett had been sentenced to death for shooting 19-year-old Stephanie Neiman and watching as two accomplices buried her alive in 1999.

Ms Neiman and a friend had interrupted the men as they robbed a home.

The problems surrounding Lockett's execution come amid a wider debate over the legality of the three-drug method and whether its use violates guarantees in the US constitution "against cruel and unusual punishment".

US states have encountered increasing problems in obtaining the drugs for lethal injections, amid an embargo by European pharmaceutical firms.

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Samsung ordered to pay Apple $119.6m

3 May 2014 Last updated at 05:30

Samsung has been ordered to pay $119.6m (£71m) to Apple by a US court for infringing two of its patents.

A jury in California delivered its verdict in a federal court in San Jose on Friday in the latest lawsuit involving the two tech giants.

Apple had sought $2bn at the trial, accusing Samsung of violating patents on smartphone features.

The court also ruled that Apple infringed Samsung's patents and awarded $158,000 in damages.

Continue reading the main story

Richard Taylor North America technology correspondent

---

The verdict will probably come as a blow for Apple, which portrayed Samsung as resorting to "the dark side of intentional copying".

The figure would appear to reflect the jury's belief that Apple's settlement claim was unfairly inflated; Samsung argued all along that it should be far lower than the $2.2bn sought, not least because some of the patents were never even incorporated into the iPhone's software.

They say lawyers are the only ones who win from patent wars. In this case that could well prove true - with all the mudslinging and embarrassing leaks of internal memos witnessed in the courtroom over the past month, neither company's reputation has been enhanced.

Apple had sought $2.2bn after accusing Samsung of infringing five of its patents covering functions such as the "slide to unlock" from its devices.

Samsung denied any wrongdoing and sought $6m after arguing Apple had infringed two of its smartphone patents related to camera use and video transmission.

"Though this verdict is large by normal standards, it is hard to view this outcome as much of a victory for Apple,'' said Brian Love, a Santa Clara University law professor.

"This amount is less than 10% of the amount Apple requested and probably doesn't surpass by too much the amount Apple spent litigating this case.''

This verdict marks the latest legal battle over intellectual property between the world's top two smartphone makers.

Apple and Samsung have been fighting patent battles for years and across many countries.

Two years ago, a separate jury ordered Samsung to pay Apple $930m after finding it had used Apple technology.

That verdict is still being challenged by Samsung.

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Abducted Ukraine observers released

3 May 2014 Last updated at 11:28

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OSCE observer Col Axel Schneider. The BBC's Yuri Maloveryan says all have been released

Seven international military observers taken captive in eastern Ukraine a week ago have been released.

Five Ukrainian officers captured with the observers, who are linked to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, were also freed.

Pro-Russian separatists in the town of Sloviansk say they released the OSCE observers "without conditions".

Kiev has resumed military action against the separatists, with fighting reported in some areas.

Russia, accused by the West of being behind the unrest, says it "no longer has any influence" over the separatists.

Moscow also accused Kiev and the West of responsibility for Friday's violence in the south-western city of Odessa, which left at least 36 people dead.

'Inexcusable'

Both the OSCE and Vyacheslav Ponomaryov, a leader of the insurgency in the east, confirmed the releases.

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

A second day of military operations is under way to try to reassert central control here in eastern Ukraine and in particular in the city of Sloviansk, which has become the stronghold of pro-Russian groups.

Ukraine's interior minister has been saying "we will not stop" - suggesting that, unlike in the past when Ukrainian troops have moved in and then withdrawn, these operations will continue.

The interior ministry is also very angry that Moscow has been talking of Kiev carrying out "punitive actions" in the east and that it has been firing on civilians. The government in Ukraine is anxious that it does not give any pretext for Russia to send in its troops. That pretext would be that civilians - Russian-speaking citizens - were in danger and needed protection.

Pro-Russian groups have spoken again of needing peacekeeping troops. That would include Russians coming in to protect civilians - obviously something Kiev wants to avoid.

"As I promised them, we celebrated my birthday yesterday and they left. As I said, they were my guests," Mr Ponomaryov said.

Russia had sent an envoy to negotiate the releases. Vladimir Lukin said he hoped the "voluntary act" by the separatists would be reciprocated by Kiev, adding: "I would very much like military actions to end."

President Vladimir Putin's spokesman in Moscow, Dmitry Peskov, said: "From now on Russia essentially has lost its influence over these people because it will be impossible to convince them to lay down arms when there's a direct threat to their lives."

One of the observers, German Col Axel Schneider, told Associated Press news agency the team had "a very good attitude and that gave them the strength to stand the situation".

Western leaders had condemned the abductions.

On Friday, US President Barack Obama again called for the observers to be released, saying their abduction was "inexcusable" and "disgraceful".

The observers - four Germans, a Dane, a Pole and a Czech - are not part of the main OSCE monitoring mission, which was agreed after long negotiations by Russia, Ukraine and the US.

Ukraine's government meanwhile confirmed a second day of military operations in the east.

Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said the "active phase of the operation continued at dawn", with Ukrainian forces taking a television tower in Kramatorsk, which is about 17km (10 miles) from the pro-Russian separatists' stronghold of Sloviansk.

"We are not stopping," Mr Avakov wrote on his Facebook page.

The BBC's Sarah Rainsford in Donetsk says she spoke to residents of the area last night and was told some in Kramatorsk had gone out to try to stop armoured personnel carriers from entering.

She says the defence ministry also reported "serious fighting" last night in Andreevka, some 6km west of Sloviansk.

Continue reading the main story

Odessa

• City founded in 1794 by Empress Catherine the Great
• Population: 1m
• Ukraine's third largest city
• Hosts Ukrainian naval base
• Population: Ukrainian 62% ethnic Russian 29%

The ministry said pro-Russian separatists had attacked the armed forces and two Ukrainian soldiers were killed. Pro-Russian groups confirmed this, but also said there had been civilian casualties. There is no confirmation.

The operations come a day after running battles between pro-Kiev groups and separatists in Odessa, which culminated in a deadly fire at the Trade Unions House.

Reports suggest pro-Russian separatists had barricaded themselves inside the building and both sides were throwing petrol bombs.

The deaths sparked another war of words involving the West, Russia and Ukraine.

Ukraine's secret service said groups from Russia and Moldova's breakaway region of Trans-Dniester were fomenting the unrest.

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Footage shows people trying to escape the building in Odessa on Friday

But Mr Peskov said: "Kiev and its Western sponsors are practically provoking the bloodshed and bear direct responsibility for it."

Local police chief Petro Lutsiuk told Reuters news agency that more than 130 people had been arrested following the violence in Odessa.

Are you in Odessa or eastern Ukraine? How have you been affected by the recent violence? You can email your experiences to haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk using the subject line 'Ukraine unrest'.

Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.

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Search for Afghan landslide missing

3 May 2014 Last updated at 12:13

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The BBC's David Loyn: "The bottom of the valley is now a tomb for the village"

Rescuers in Afghanistan are sifting through mud for a second day after a landslide that is feared to have buried at least 2,000 people.

The UN said more than 350 bodies had been recovered in the remote north-east Afghan province of Badakhshan.

Hundreds of homes were buried on Friday when a section of a mountain collapsed following torrential rain.

The BBC's David Loyn in Kabul says rescue efforts are rudimentary and survivors are unlikely to be found.

Local police handed out bread and water to the thousands of people who spent the night without shelter.

Much of north and east Afghanistan has been hit by heavy rain in recent days.

'Mass grave'

The provincial governor and UN officials told the BBC that more than 2,000 people were missing, feared dead.

The landslide site is expected to be designated as a mass grave, and a mass funeral is planned for later on Saturday, correspondents say.

Aidan O'Leary, head of UN operations in Kabul, said: "People have been working furiously throughout yesterday afternoon to try and undertake rescue efforts but unfortunately without success."

"We've had almost 300 homes buried under 10m (33ft) of mud, and with the scale and the speed of the onset it simply wasn't possible to rescue the lives that are there," he said, adding that about 4,000 people were displaced.

Continue reading the main story

Badakhshan in north-eastern Afghanistan is a mountainous province with remote and rustic districts. Every year, avalanches and mudslides affect communities there. But the mudslide in Hargu surprised many.

With more than 500 homes buried, villagers worked overnight hoping they could rescue some of those trapped under the mud.

Emergency workers arrived on Saturday morning with shovels and were confronted by the enormous scale of the destruction caused by the landslide.

The villagers and government rescue teams are using shovels, and a lot of the clearing is being done by hand. Large scale rescue operation is impossible as roads to the area cannot take heavy machinery.

For now, everyone in the area is focused on getting food, medicine and tents to hundreds of residents who have been displaced.

Meanwhile, Abdul Qadeer Sayad, a deputy police chief in Badakhshan, told Reuters that people from surrounding districts had "rushed to the area to help with the rescue".

"So far today no bodies have been recovered," he said.

The landslide hit on Friday morning, a day of rest in Afghanistan, meaning people were at home and whole families were lost under tonnes of mud.

About 1,000 houses were affected.

"Seven members of my family were here when the landslide happened," one woman who survived said.

"Four or five people were killed here but four or five are alive. I am also half alive, what can I do?" she added.

Remote region

The BBC's Qurbon Ali Hamzi in Badakhshan says continuing rain has raised fears of further landslides.

Badakhshan is in the most remote and mountainous part of the country, bordering Tajikistan, China and Pakistan.

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The UN's Aidan O'Leary says relief efforts are being accelerated

Correspondents say it is one of the poorest regions in one of the poorest countries on earth, and it could be weeks before the full extent of the catastrophe is known.

Another, smaller landslide was reported in Badakhshan on Thursday.

Are you in the area? You can share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with the subject title 'Afghanistan landslide'.

Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.

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Car bomb rocks Nigeria's capital

2 May 2014 Last updated at 10:00

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Will Ross reports on fresh security fears over next week's World Economic Forum in Abuja

A car bomb attack has killed at least 19 people and injured 60 more in the Nigerian capital Abuja, officials say.

The explosion happened in the suburb of Nyanya, close to a bus station where at least 70 people died in a bomb blast on 14 April.

Witnesses said the explosion targeted a police checkpoint near a bus station.

No group has said it carried out Thursday's attack. The Islamist militant group Boko Haram said it was behind the fatal explosion last month.

Continue reading the main story

Around Abuja there are mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers and friends searching for missing loved ones.

With this, the second attack in less than three weeks, there are mounting worries over the nation's insecurity. It is not clear why the suburb of Nyanya was targeted once more. If it was Boko Haram again, it could be the Islamist insurgents' way of saying: "You cannot stop us even where you put your checkpoints."

On top of the dreadful insecurity in the north-east and the plight of the missing schoolgirls, this is more bad news for the government. Abuja is hosting the World Economic Forum on Africa next week, so leaders from across the world are expected in the city. They will not be mingling with the crowds at bus stations but the worry is that cursory security checks are unlikely to stop another car bomb from being detonated elsewhere in this city.

There is of course anger with the government, especially as the annual security budget has almost doubled over the past five years to $6bn (£3.6bn) and people are asking: "So why are we not safer?"

The BBC's Will Ross in Abuja says Nyanya is a religiously mixed area and it is not clear why the area has been targeted.

Fears over security

Charles Osueke, who was in the area at the time of the blast, told the BBC that it was just 200m (650ft) away from the 14 April explosion.

"People in the crowd were saying that a man parked his car, walked away and the next thing they know, the car blew up," he said.

"I'm worried about our security here. After the last explosion, the president said he would increase security," Mr Osueke added.

"There were policemen around when this explosion happened and they didn't manage to stop it."

The head of Nigeria's Emergency Management Agency, Abbas Idriss, told the BBC that 19 people were killed in the blast and 60 others were injured.

Most of Boko Haram's attacks have been in the north-east of Nigeria.

But the bombing on 14 April raised fears that the militants could be trying to expand their area of operation.

In a video message after that attack, the group's leader Abubakar Shekau said: "We are in your city but you don't know where we are."

The latest attack comes just days before Abuja is set to host the World Economic Forum on Africa. Figures released last month showed Nigeria is now Africa's biggest economy.

Insecurity will be a major concern: Several world leaders, including Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, are due to attend the event.

Correspondents say the blast comes at a terrible time for Nigeria, which is also dealing with the abduction of 230 schoolgirls that happened hours after the previous Nyanya attack.

Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has called for international military assistance to be offered to Nigeria in the hunt for the girls.

"We could provide military help to the Nigerians to track down the whereabouts of the girls before they're dispersed throughout Africa - like air support, for example, if that was thought necessary," he told the UK's Guardian newspaper.

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A 60-second guide to Boko Haram

Last week, an advisor to Nigeria's president said the government would welcome international assistance.

The Boko Haram insurgency has led to the deaths of some 1,500 people this year, human rights groups say.

The group has hit Abuja several times before, including an attack on the United Nations national headquarters in 2011.

But before 14 April, there had not been an attack in the capital for two years.

Boko Haram, whose name means "Western education is forbidden" in the local Hausa language, has been waging a campaign of gun and bomb attacks since 2009.

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Dozens hurt in S Korea subway crash

2 May 2014 Last updated at 10:19

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Reports say the train was leaving Sangwangsimni station when it was rammed from behind

Dozens of people have been injured after two subway cars collided in the South Korean capital Seoul.

As many as 170 people were hurt - and a number were taken to hospital for treatment - but no-one suffered serious injuries, officials said.

The accident happened after one train ran into the back of another that had stopped at a station in east Seoul.

It comes as the nation continues to mourn the deaths of about 300 people in last month's ferry disaster.

The Sewol ferry sank with 476 people aboard - most of them high school students and teachers - off South Korea on 16 April.

The emergency response to the disaster has been heavily criticised as too slow, and has led to the resignation of the prime minister and a public apology from President Park Geun-hye.

Friday's crash happened at around 15:30 local time (06:30 GMT) at the Sangwangsimni Station on one of Seoul's major subway lines, the South Korean news agency Yonhap reports.

Yonhap said the stationary train had stopped because of mechanical problems when the second train ran into the back of it.

A witness said many passengers ignored an onboard announcement telling them to stay inside and forced the doors open, escaping on to the tracks.

One official said 170 people had complained of feeling pain after the accident, and 32 were taken to a nearby hospital, but no-one was seriously hurt, the Associated Press reports.

Are you in the area? Do you have any information to share? You can email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk with 'Seoul' in the subject.

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