Korean cyclist killed in Chiang Mai crash

Korean cyclist killed in Chiang Mai crash

Calls made for dashboard camera clips on accident

Eom Se-beom (third right) poses for a photo with his teammates and coaches at Incheon airport near Seoul in an undated photo. (Photo from Sasirin Pokpun Facebook account)
Eom Se-beom (third right) poses for a photo with his teammates and coaches at Incheon airport near Seoul in an undated photo. (Photo from Sasirin Pokpun Facebook account)

A South Korean cyclist has been killed in an accident in Chiang Mai where he and his team trained.

Mana Sukchasoen, the deputy superintendent of Mae Rim police station, said on Thursday Eom Se-beom died during a crash with a pickup truck as he was descending in high speed on a road between Sameong and Mae Rim districts at 10am on Tuesday.

The police officer identified the pickup truck driver as Katanyu Kittitheerayan, 27, who stayed at the scene to give his account to investigators. The front bumper on the same side as the driver's seat was damaged, he added.

Police have questioned witnesses, collected the evidence and even simulated the incident but they have been unable to determine how the crash happened.

Pol Lt Col Mana asked other drivers witnessing the event to give them video clips recorded by their dashboard cameras to be used as additional evidence in the case.

Yonhap reported Eom was out of the view on a curve when the accident took place as a car carrying his coaches was behind him.

Eom and other youth cyclists from South Korea trained in Chiang Mai from Jan 18 to Feb 25. A video clip posted on a Facebook account by the name of Sasirin Pokpun showed rescue workers and other cyclists tried to help him by performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

The Korea Cycling Federation said the cyclist was pronounced dead in an ambulance on his way to a hospital.

Eom, 18, had a future in cycling for South Korea. He won two gold medals at the Asian Junior Cycling Championship last October in his country, setting the continental junior records in team pursuit and individual pursuit, according to Yonhap.

He was scheduled to receive the top rookie cyclist in the high school division at the annual Korea Cycling Federation Awards at a ceremony on Feb 17, the South Korean news agency reported.

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