A tragic incident occurred on Tuesday at a highway construction site south of Seoul, South Korea, resulting in the death of at least four individuals and injuries to six others, as reported by fire authorities.
The collapse occurred at 9:49 a.m. (0049 GMT) in Anseong, approximately 70 km (43.5 miles) from Seoul. The Yonhap News Agency detailed that five 50-meter (164 ft) concrete structures, which were supporting the highway bridge, collapsed consecutively after being lifted into place by a crane.
Ko Kyung-man, a fire official in Anseong, confirmed the tragic news, stating that among the casualties were four individuals, including two individuals from China. Additionally, six persons sustained injuries, with five of them in critical condition. One of the critically injured individuals was also identified as a Chinese national.
“They were working to install a deck on the bridge,” Ko told a televised briefing. “All of the 10 were up on the deck … and fell from both sides when it collapsed.”
Broadcaster YTN aired dramatic footage showing a deck of a towering bridge collapsing at the site.
Rescue workers at the site were seen examining twisted metal struts and fractured concrete slabs below the columns of the highway bridge.
Rescue workers participate in a salvage operation at a collapsed highway construction site in Cheonan, South Korea, February 25, 2025. (REUTERS/Kim Hong-ji)
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, his office said.
The National Fire Agency said that it has mobilised three helicopters and nearly 150 officials for the search and rescue operation, and the Transport Ministry said it has dispatched a team of officials to the scene.
Deadly accidents continue to regularly occur 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.
In June last year, a fire at a lithium battery factory that authorities blamed on quality control failures and inadequate safety training killed 23 workers.
Data released in March by South Korea’s labour ministry showed that 598 industrial workers died in 2023, with the construction sector accounting for nearly half, or 303, though the total death toll was down from 644 in 2022.
