A South Korean family traveling in the United States has gone missing, prompting local police to begin a search.
According to the Los Angeles (LA) Consulate General and local police on the 22nd (local time), three South Korean women went missing while driving on the highway during their trip in the United States. They are family members: 59-year-old Kim and 54-year-old Kim, and 33-year-old Lee.
The Kim family was scheduled to return on the 17th, but after their contact was lost, an investigation was initiated at the request of their family in South Korea. The Arizona County Sheriff's Office and the Arizona Department of Public Safety began investigating following a request from the LA Consulate General.
Local police have determined that the rental car they were in passed along Highway 40, heading west toward Las Vegas, around 3:30 p.m. on the 13th. A heavy snowfall in the area at the time led to a 22-vehicle pileup, resulting in two deaths and injuries to 16 others.
The last signal from the Kim family was detected about 1 mile (approximately 1.6 km) from the site of the accident. Local police are investigating the possibility that the missing persons may be related to the 22-vehicle pileup. However, the fire that broke out as a result of the accident has made it difficult to identify the vehicles.