Crow in South Korea believed to be main culprit in downed power line accident that left 1 injured

TAEAN COUNTY, South Korea - The driver of a concrete mixer was severely injured after a high-voltage power line snapped and fell onto his vehicle in Taean County, South Chungcheong province, the authorities said on July 1.

The accident occurred at 11.43am on June 30 as the man, in his 70s, was driving along a paved farm road in Songhyeon-ri, Sowon-myeon. A power line connected to a roadside utility pole broke and struck the top of the truck, leaving the driver with severe electrical burns, according to local police and the state-run Korea Electric Power.

Firefighters responding to an emergency call found the driver lying on the ground beside the truck with extensive burns. He was conscious and had a pulse when rescuers arrived, and flames that had broken out had already been extinguished by nearby farmers.

After receiving initial treatment at a local hospital, the man was airlifted to a specialised burn centre.

Investigators believe a crow may have triggered the accident after the bird came into contact with the utility pole. Its charred carcass was found near the truck, the authorities said.

The damaged line carried 22,900 volts of electricity.

“The crow appears to have come into contact with the utility pole, causing the power line to snap,” a KEPCO official said.

Police are continuing to investigate how the driver came into contact with the live wire.

The KEPCO official said that other than a brief power outage in the area, no additional damage was reported.

Utility poles and overhead power lines provide crows with perches for foraging, surveying their surroundings and resting. But when birds come into contact with high-voltage equipment, they can trigger power failures and, in rare cases, accidents like the one on June 30.

Bird-related power outages involving utility poles in Daegu and North Gyeongsang province rose from 44 in 2023 to 87 in 2025, nearly doubling over the period, according to KEPCO’s Daegu headquarters.

The accident has renewed calls from some experts to expand the underground installation of power lines to reduce the risk of similar incidents.

“Overhead power lines are constantly exposed to rain, wind and dust, making them especially difficult to maintain, particularly in areas such as traditional markets, where the risk of short circuits and fires is already high,” Sung Ki-yong, a professor of architecture at Dong Seoul University, told a local news outlet.

“They are like ticking time bombs above our roads. The process will be costly and time-consuming, but it is one that should be pursued over the long term.” THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK