Seosomun Overpass Collapse Leaves 3 Dead... Police Form 50-Member Task Force for Investigation

Collapse Occurs During Safety Inspection After Early Morning Subsidence

Tragedy Strikes While Inspecting Inside the Girder

Police and Labor Ministry Launch Investigation

On the afternoon of May 26, a section of the deck collapsed at the demolition site of the Seosomun Overpass in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, resulting in three deaths and three injuries. Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the accident and to assess whether it qualifies as a major industrial accident.

Yonhap News Agency

According to the fire authorities and others, at around 2:33 p.m., a part of the structure collapsed during the demolition work of the Seosomun Overpass, causing workers and related personnel to either fall or become trapped under the debris. The deceased have been identified as a man in his 60s with the surname Lee, who was the site manager from the contractor Heunghwa Construction, the supervisor-in-chief with the surname Ahn, and a structural engineer named Lee who was an external expert. Ahn was transported to the hospital in cardiac arrest but ultimately passed away.

The injured are three men in their 30s to 50s, who sustained injuries to the waist, head, and ribs and were taken to the hospital. They have been identified as employees of the Seoul City Urban Infrastructure Headquarters and the Seodaemun-gu Community Center. The community center employee was reported to have been passing under the site and was not involved in the construction work at the time of the accident.

Investigations revealed that the accident occurred during a safety inspection aimed at checking a 2.9 cm subsidence that had been discovered in the process of cutting the concrete slab (the bridge deck) earlier that morning.

At an on-site briefing, Lee Jong-un, head of the Disaster and Safety Department at Seodaemun Fire Station, explained, "After suspending work in the early morning, personnel entered between the girders for a safety inspection around 2 p.m., at which point the structure appears to have collapsed." The girder is a structural beam that supports the structure by connecting the slab and the overhead scaffold.

Choi Jinwoo, Head of Civil Engineering at the Seoul City Urban Infrastructure Headquarters, also stated, "It is understood that the collapse of the girder, which was approximately 80 cm high, occurred during inspection work inside the girder, resulting in the workers falling."

At the time of the accident, there were a total of 13 people on site. Of the six casualties, the remaining seven managed to make an emergency evacuation.

The fire authorities received a report stating, "The overpass collapsed and a vehicle was trapped," and mobilized 62 personnel and 16 pieces of equipment for rescue operations starting at 2:38 p.m. Police also deployed about 30 officers to the site to control surrounding roads and prevent secondary damage.

Built in 1966, the Seosomun Overpass is an aging elevated road measuring 335 meters in length and 14.9 meters in width, connecting Chungjeongno Station and City Hall Station. After an incident in 2019 where concrete fragments fell, a thorough safety assessment rated it Grade D, leading to the decision to demolish it. Demolition work began in August last year, and the Seoul Metropolitan Government had planned to construct a new overpass by February 2028.

Due to this accident, power was cut on the trolley wires between Seoul Station and Sinchon Station, causing a temporary suspension of train operations and resulting in transportation disruptions.

Relevant authorities immediately launched an investigation into the cause of the accident. Kim Young-hoon, Minister of Employment and Labor, ordered a halt to demolition work, a thorough investigation into the cause, and strict oversight and investigation.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency also formed a dedicated investigation team of about 50 people, including the chief of the Metropolitan Investigation Unit, the Major Industrial Accident Investigation Unit, the forensic science team, and detectives from the local police station. The police plan to focus on whether the demolition was carried out according to proper procedures and whether a safety diagnosis was forced despite signs of structural collapse, targeting both the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the construction contractor in their investigation.

Chung Sungho, Minister of Justice, stated on Facebook, "We will ensure rapid legal assistance and support for the victims who are suffering due to this unexpected accident." He added, "We will work closely with relevant ministries and local governments to provide thorough legal and administrative support for recovery efforts, and will take measures to minimize public damage."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.