9 in Hospital After Wreck That Killed 2 Near Los Banos

Nine people remained hospitalized Thursday after an accident in which two teen-agers were killed when a van carrying a Rosemead church group to a religious retreat in Northern California blew a tire, went out of control and crashed on Interstate 5 near Los Banos.

Five others also were injured in the crash Wednesday night.

The van, registered to Rosemead Korean Seventh-day Adventist Church, was traveling north about 6:30 p.m. when the accident occurred, said California Highway Patrol spokesman Bob Arnold. The vehicle crossed two lanes of traffic and crashed into the center median where it turned over several times. Nine passengers were thrown from the vehicle.

No other vehicles were involved in the accident.

Scene ‘Was Chaos’

Strewn among the injured at the scene of the accident were sleeping bags, backpacks and other provisions for the group’s planned weeklong retreat at Pacific Union College in the Napa Valley community of Angwin.

“It was chaos,” said CHP Sgt. Bob Rist, who arrived on the scene shortly after the accident.

The dead were identified as Hee Sung Kim of Monterey Park and Angela Bon of Nanuet, N.Y., both 14. Bon was traveling with an aunt and uncle whom she was visiting at their home in Anaheim.

Hee Sung Kim was thrown from the van and died at the scene. Angela Bon died while being flown by helicopter to Doctors Medical Center in Modesto from Los Banos Community Hospital.

The injured were taken to three hospitals.

Myung Hee Kim, 54, and his wife, Sukmani Kim, 60 were reported in serious but stable condition Thursday at Scenic General Hospital in Modesto, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Duk Hee Kim, 48, the mother of the boy who was killed; Keun Suk Oh, 50; Soon Ai Choi, 54, and In Sook Cho, 47, remained at Doctors Medical Center in Modesto, spokeswoman Susan Vrh said. They were reported in stable condition.

The van’s driver, Hyung Mo Chung, 50, of El Monte, was among three crash victims who remained at Los Banos Community Hospital with minor injuries. Also hospitalized in stable condition in Los Banos were Chung’s wife, Kyung Hee, 48, and Susan Cho, 20.

The other passengers were treated at Los Banos Community Hospital and released. They were: the church’s pastor, Yun Hee Lee, 57; two sons of the driver, Johnny Chung, 18, and Tony Chung, 15; Jee Young Bang, 29, and Kook Hee Kim, 18.

The Highway Patrol did not immediately provide addresses for the injured, but all are believed to be from the San Gabriel Valley.

The group was on its way to Pacific Union College for a “camp meeting” of 18 Korean Seventh-day Adventist Churches.