Several Chinese tourists helped stop a speeding airport bus on a highway in Seoul, South Korea, when its driver suddenly collapsed at the wheel — an act of coolheaded teamwork that has been hailed on Chinese and South Korean social media.

On Saturday afternoon, the No 6015 airport bus was traveling from central Seoul to Incheon International Airport with about 20 passengers, most of them being Chinese tourists. When the driver lost consciousness, the bus scraped a roadside guardrail.

Sun Qian, a healthcare professional in her 30s from Nanjing, Jiangsu province, who was in Seoul to learn about a local program, was seated in the second row behind the driver.

"I thought he might have fallen asleep or fainted," she told China Daily. "The bus was veering out of control, so I rushed and grabbed the steering wheel and tried to steady the vehicle."

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

"Within seconds, we brought the vehicle under control by pressing the emergency brake button and pulling the hand brake," Sun said. "I do know how to drive a car, but the steering wheel of a bus is bigger. I was really nervous, but felt relieved when we managed to stop it safely."

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Next to Sun sat her friend Du He, 33, who also acted without hesitation.

"While they were controlling the steering wheel, I tried to apply some first-aid measures," Du, also from Nanjing, told China Daily. "But I soon saw that his entire face was turning purple."

Passengers helped transfer the driver to the aisle of the bus and took turns to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation, she said.

Sun, who speaks fluent Korean, called the emergency services on the driver's phone while others continued chest compressions.

"Within a minute or two, he had no pulse and had stopped breathing — likely a heart attack," Sun said. "We did everything we could, but unfortunately, we could not save him."

Yonhap News Agency reported that the driver was found in cardiac arrest and rushed to a hospital, where he died about two hours later despite resuscitation attempts. Police are still investigating the exact cause of death.

Both Sun and Du said that they were deeply saddened by the driver's death despite their efforts.

Du said that the incident could have taken more lives. "Luckily, traffic was light at the time, so no other vehicles were involved."

The passengers, who were all bound for the airport, flagged down another bus to continue their journey.

Sun and Du said they were able to grasp the full gravity of the situation later. "In the moment, I just acted on instinct," Du said. "But once I reached the airport, I was terrified. I'm just grateful we stopped the bus in time and no one was hurt."

Sun said: "Looking back, I'm quite shaken. It felt like something out of a TV drama. There was barely time to think."

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When asked about the outpouring of praise on Chinese and South Korean social media, Du said: "This was something I could step up for. If I hadn't been there, someone else would have done the same."

"Chinese people are united and always ready to help. That's our nature," she added.

Sun said the rescue was a collective effort. "It wasn't just one person. One passenger located the emergency brake, several assisted with CPR and everyone cooperated. In a crisis, the support of compatriots is truly heartwarming."

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

Chinese users likewise praised the group after they shared their experience on the social media platform Xiaohongshu, also known as RedNote.

Contact the writers at zoushuo@chinadaily.com.cn