INA-SOURCES
At least three people were killed, and three others were injured in South Korea after a decades-old highway overpass undergoing demolition work collapsed.
The incident occurred around 2:30 p.m. local time on Tuesday, May 26, at the Seosomun Overpass, officials said, according to the Associated Press, The Korea Times, The Korea Herald and UPI.
Seoul officials said that demolition work was being conducted on the overpass' railway section. A city government official said that workers were cutting slabs of concrete when a part of a slab sank, signaling a structural issue, The Korea Herald reported.
Work was suspended and a safety inspection followed, according to The Korea Times. It was during the inspection that a part of the bridge work collapsed, causing debris to fall on workers and vehicles, officials said.
“It appears that the girder [beam supporting the slab] suddenly snapped, causing the slab and scaffolding [temporary structure supporting workers at height] to collapse,” a source with the Seoul Municipal Government told The Chosun Daily.
Three men in their 50s and 60s were killed, according to The Korea Times, among the 12 workers at the site. Three other people were injured and transported for medical treatment.
The incident forced officials to cordon off traffic around the site and suspend some railway operations to Seoul Station, the AP reported.
In a social media post, the Seoul Municipal Government said, “Following the accident that occurred during the Seosomun Overpass demolition work on Tuesday, May 26, city bus routes passing through the affected area had been temporarily rerouted to prevent additional traffic congestion and disruption.”
The Seosomun Overpass, which first opened in 1966, had been undergoing demolition work since September over aging infrastructure problems such as falling debris and safety accidents, The Chosun Daily reported.
In a statement, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung offered condolences to the victims' families and called for an investigation into the cause of the collapse and measures to prevent future incidents, according to The Korea Herald.
PEOPLE contacted the Seoul Municipal Government on Tuesday but did not receive an immediate response.
SOURCES: People