VIDEO: Bridge under construction in South Korea collapses, killing 3
A tragic accident shook South Korea on Tuesday, when a bridge under construction suddenly collapsed, leaving at least three workers dead and five more injured. The incident occurred at around 9:49 a.m. (00:49 GMT) in the city of Anseong, about 65 kilometers south of Seoul.
According to the National Fire Agency, the collapse involved five 50-meter-long steel structures, which collapsed one after another while being installed by crane on a section of the Cheonan Expressway. At the time of the collapse, several workers were working under the structure and were trapped in the rubble.
A tragedy foretold: structural failures in focusEmergency teams were immediately deployed for search and rescue efforts, using heavy machinery and drones to locate possible survivors. Among the five injured, at least two are reported to be in critical condition, while the rest have been transferred to nearby hospitals with fractures and injuries of varying severity.
South Korea's acting president, Choi Sang-mok, ordered the full mobilization of available resources and demanded a thorough investigation to clarify the causes of the collapse. "It is imperative to identify any shortcomings in construction and safety protocols to avoid similar tragedies in the future," he said in a statement.
The first images of the accident, released by local media, show the dramatic moment when the metal structure gave way, generating a cloud of dust and debris as workers tried to get to safety.
A history of accidents in the construction industryThis incident has once again brought to the forefront of debate the safety conditions at infrastructure sites in South Korea, a country that has faced several similar accidents in recent years. In 2022, the partial collapse of a building under construction in Gwangju left six people dead, prompting a review of safety protocols in the sector.
Authorities are now examining whether the Anseong collapse was due to a miscalculation in the installation of the structures, deficiencies in the materials or a fault in the crane used for assembly. Specialists have warned that the weight and alignment of the metal segments may have exceeded the capacity of the lifting equipment.
The tragedy has sent shockwaves through the construction sector and put pressure on authorities to step up security measures at infrastructure projects in the country.
Editor’s note : The collapse of the bridge under construction in Anseong adds to a series of accidents in the construction industry in South Korea, a sector that has come under scrutiny in recent years due to structural and safety flaws. According to data from the South Korean Ministry of Labor and Employment, 417 deaths were recorded in the construction sector in 2023, representing approximately 44% of all workplace deaths in the country.
In addition to the Gwangju collapse in 2022, another emblematic case was the collapse of the Sampoong shopping mall in Seoul in 1995, which left 502 dead, considered one of the worst engineering disasters in the country's history. These incidents have led South Korea to implement stricter regulations, such as the Industrial Safety and Occupational Health Act, which toughens penalties for companies and construction managers in the event of negligence.
Regarding the collapse in Anseong, experts have pointed out that, in addition to a possible failure in the crane or in the steel structure, the weather conditions and the assembly process could have influenced the accident. Preliminary investigations indicate that the weight of the metal sections could have generated a chain effect, causing the structure to collapse. The Prosecutor's Office and the Construction Safety Agency have launched an investigation to determine responsibilities and prevent future incidents.
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