Chinese tourists hailed after stopping runaway airport bus in Seoul

Several Chinese women tourists have been hailed as heroes after they took control of a speeding airport bus in Seoul, South Korea, when the driver suddenly collapsed — an act of cool-headed teamwork that, they said, was simply "what anyone would have done."

The incident occurred on Saturday afternoon aboard the No 6015 airport bus traveling from central Seoul to Incheon International Airport. The vehicle, carrying more than a dozen passengers, most of them Chinese tourists, was moving when the driver lost consciousness, causing the bus to scrape against a roadside guardrail.

Sun Qian, aged over 35 is a visitor from Nanjing, Jiangsu province. She was sitting in the second row behind the driver. Sun works in the health sector in China and was visiting Seoul to learn about a local program.

"I thought he might have fallen asleep or fainted," she told China Daily. "The bus was veering badly, so I rushed forward and grabbed the steering wheel to try to stabilize it."

At the same time, another female passenger scrambled to find the brake.

"Within just a few seconds, we managed to bring the vehicle under control. We pressed the emergency brake button and pulled the handbrake. I do know how to drive, but the steering wheel of that coach was huge — I was really nervous. Still, I'm relieved we steadied it."

Sitting next to Sun was her friend Du He, 33, also from Nanjing, who also acted without hesitation.

"While they were controlling the steering wheel, I tried to pinch the driver's philtrum — a traditional first-aid measure — but I quickly realized he had stopped breathing, and his whole face was turning purple," Du told China Daily.

The passengers then took turns performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation(CPR) on him, she said.

Sun, who speaks fluent Korean, used the driver's mobile phone to call emergency services in Korean, while other passengers continued chest compressions.

"Within one or two minutes, he had no pulse and no breath — it might have been a heart attack," Sun said. "We all did our best, but unfortunately we could not save him."

According to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency, the driver was found in cardiac arrest and rushed to a hospital, where he died after about two hours of emergency treatment. Police are investigating the exact cause.

Du said the situation could have been far worse.

"Luckily, there wasn't much traffic on the highway at that time, so no other accident occurred," she said. The passengers, all heading to the airport, quickly flagged down another bus to continue their journey.

Both women said they are saddened by the death of the driver, and they have tried their best to save them. They admitted that the full weight of the ordeal did not hit them until later.

"At the moment, I didn't really feel anything — but after I arrived at the airport, I was terrified," Du said. "I'm so grateful that we managed to stop the bus in time and that no one was hurt."

Sun echoed that sentiment.

"Looking back, I feel quite scared — it was just like a scene from a TV drama. I barely had time to think," she said.

When asked about the flood of praise on Chinese and South Korean social media, Du said: "I think this was something I was capable of doing. If it hadn't been me, someone else would have done the same thing — it's only natural," she said. "Chinese people are united and always ready to help. That's our nature."

Sun stressed that the rescue was a team effort.

"It wasn't just one person — another passenger helped find the brake, many joined in the CPR, and everyone cooperated. In a crisis, the support of compatriots is truly heartwarming."

The story has sparked widespread admiration online. One South Korean netizen commented: "In a foreign country with a language barrier, staying so calm and acting so fast is remarkable."

Chinese netizens also lavished praise on the women after they shared their experience on the social media platform Xiaohongshu.