At least four individuals lost their lives and six others sustained injuries on Tuesday following a collapse at a highway construction site located south of South Korea’s capital, Seoul, according to fire officials.
The incident occurred at 9:49 a.m. (0049 GMT) in Anseong, approximately 70 km (43.5 miles) from Seoul, when five 50-meter (164 ft) concrete structures that were hoisted into position by a crane supporting the highway bridge fell in succession, as reported by Yonhap News Agency.
Ko Kyung-man, a fire official from Anseong, stated that four people have died, including two Chinese nationals, and six were injured, with five of them in critical condition. Among the injured, one is also a Chinese citizen.
“They were in the process of installing a deck on the bridge,” Ko mentioned during a televised briefing. “All ten individuals were on the deck when it collapsed, causing them to fall from either side.”
Dramatic footage aired by broadcaster YTN showed the deck of a soaring bridge collapsing at the construction site.
Rescue personnel at the scene were observed inspecting twisted metal struts and broken concrete slabs lying beneath the bridge’s support columns.
Acting President Choi Sang-mok has called for the mobilization of all available personnel and resources to locate any missing individuals and to implement safety measures to prevent further incidents, as stated by his office.
The National Fire Agency has deployed three helicopters and close to 150 officials to assist in the search and rescue efforts, while the Transport Ministry has sent a team of officials to the site.
Tragic accidents frequently occur at industrial sites in South Korea, which enacted a law in 2022 aimed at addressing safety failures and holding company management accountable if a worker dies on the job.
Earlier in February, six people were killed in a fire at a hotel construction site in the port city of Busan, where around 100 individuals were evacuated, including 14 workers who were rescued from a rooftop by a helicopter.
In June of the previous year, a fire at a lithium battery factory, attributed to quality control failures and insufficient safety training, resulted in the deaths of 23 workers.
Data published in March by South Korea’s labor ministry indicated that 598 industrial workers lost their lives in 2023, with nearly half, or 303, occurring within the construction sector, though this figure was an improvement from 644 deaths in 2022.
