No fewer than four people died and six others were injured on Tuesday after a collapse at a highway construction site in an area south of the South Korean capital, Seoul.
It was gathered that the accident took place at 9:49 a.m. (0049 GMT) in Anseong, about 70 km from Seoul, when five 50 metre concrete structures supporting the highway bridge collapsed one after another after being hoisted into place by a crane.
According to an Anseong fire official, Ko Kyung-man, four people had died, including two Chinese nationals, and six were injured, including five who were in a critical condition. The five also included one Chinese citizen.
“They were working to install a deck on the bridge. All of the 10 were up on the deck … and fell from both sides when it collapsed,” Ko said.
Acting President Choi Sang-mok called to mobilise all available personnel and resources to rescue any missing people and to ensure safety measures to prevent further damage.
The National Fire Agency said that it has mobilised three helicopters and nearly 150 officials for the search and rescue operation.
Similarly, the Transport Ministry said it has dispatched a team of officials to the scene.
Deadly accidents have continued to occur regularly at industrial sites in South Korea, which introduced a law in 2022 to address safety lapses and punish company management if a worker is killed on the job.
Earlier in February, six people died in a fire in a hotel construction site in the port city of Busan, with around 100 people evacuated including 14 workers plucked to safety by a helicopter after they had taken refuge on a rooftop.
