A public bus crashed into multiple vehicles in the Bundang district of South Korea on Wednesday, leaving 9 people seriously injured and 48 with minor injuries, according to the fire agency.

The bus struck the vehicles at around 7:34am (2234 GMT on Tuesday), including some waiting at a traffic light, before crashing into a median barrier, the National Fire Agency said, citing a witness.

The accident in Bundang, in Seongnam city south of Seoul, involved 32 vehicles, including 4 buses, a truck and 27 passenger cars, according to the agency.

The fire agency said it deployed 88 personnel and 33 vehicles to the scene, while setting up an emergency medical station.

Photographs showed the mangled front of the bus resting on the barrier in the middle of the road.

The bus driver was also injured and hospitalised after being freed from the vehicle, broadcaster KBS reported.

Police plan to investigate the cause of the crash, including by using black-box recording data from the damaged vehicle and CCTV footage, SBS reported.