4 people killed in bridge collapse in South Korea

Four construction workers have died and six others have been injured after a bridge collapsed during construction work on the Cheonan Expressway in western South Korea, authorities said Tuesday.

The incident occurred at around 9:49 a.m. local time on a bridge under construction connecting the Ansan-Yongin section of the Seoul-Sejong Expressway, when 50 meters of steel beams collapsed.

The workers were working under the bridge and were trapped after the collapse, while images provided by South Korea's Yonhap news agency showed how the metal structure was falling in parts.

The structure consisted of several steel beams installed on a deck that extends over pillars. The accident apparently occurred when several slabs placed on a dock fell to the ground while another pillar was being placed by a crane.

South Korea's acting President Choi Sang-mok has given emergency instructions to deploy all available resources and personnel for the rescue operation, which ended more than four hours after the incident.

Construction company Hyundai Engineering has apologized for the incident: “We are actively cooperating with the relevant authorities to ensure a prompt recovery of the site and to conduct a thorough investigation into the cause of the accident,” it said in a statement. Construction work on the highway began on January 1 and is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2026.