SEOUL -- A passenger train traveling between the South Korean port of Pusan and the capital Seoul hit a crane near the port city on Monday, killing one person and injuring eight other people, a police officer said.

The crane was near the railway to help build a bridge near the city of Mulkeum, about 400km south (250 miles) of Seoul, Park Ki-ho, a police officer in Mulkeum, said by telephone.

"The accident took place at around 08:36 A.M. near Mulkeum, as the first carriage of a train that departed Pusan for Seoul collided with a crane on the road," he said.

The train, which had 11 carriages, was not derailed during the accident and was brought back into operation, Park said.

No further details were immediately available, Reuters reported.