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Reports indicate that sections of an unfinished elevated highway collapsed, potentially dislodging or trapping 10 workers at the location.
According to Yonhap News, citing fire department sources, four individuals died and six sustained injuries on Tuesday due to a highway construction site collapse south of Seoul.
The incident occurred at approximately 9:50 am local time in Anseong, a city about 65 km south of Seoul. It took place during the construction of a segment of the Seoul-Sejong expressway, where a concrete slab structure failed during bridge construction.
Reports suggest that ten individuals fell and were buried beneath debris when five 50-meter-long steel structures, which were supporting the highway bridge, collapsed sequentially after a crane lifted them into position.
🇰🇷 Bridge Collapse in South Korea Leaves 3 Dead, 5 Injured
Three workers were killed and five others injured after a bridge collapsed during the construction of an expressway in South Korea, according to Yonhap News.
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Authorities recovered one of the four deceased from the rubble around 2:20 pm local time, after which the rescue operation was concluded, the news agency stated.
Dramatic footage broadcast by YTN showed the moment the bridge deck collapsed, creating a large cloud of dust and debris. Emergency services, including firefighters and rescue teams, were dispatched to the site to search for survivors.
Hyundai Engineering, the construction company, apologized for the fatalities and injuries.
“We are actively cooperating with the relevant authorities to ensure a swift site recovery and a thorough investigation into the exact cause of the accident,” the company said in a statement on Tuesday.
Acting President Choi Sang-mok urged the mobilization of all available personnel and resources to locate any missing individuals and enforce safety measures to prevent further incidents, his office reported.
The cause of the collapse is currently unknown. Authorities have initiated an investigation to determine the factors that led to the structural failure.
This event is the latest in a string of construction-related accidents in South Korea in recent years, leading to increased examination of safety procedures and regulatory supervision within the industry.
In 2022, a 39-story apartment building under construction in Gwangju collapsed, resulting in the deaths of six workers. Investigators attributed the collapse to unauthorized construction modifications and substandard materials.
In 2020, a fire at a warehouse construction site in Icheon resulted in 39 deaths and 10 injuries. Reports indicated that the fire was ignited by flammable materials during construction.