The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport explained that the collapse incident that occurred on the Seoul-Sejong Expressway seemed to have happened because the equipment for installing the girder (launching equipment) overturned during the withdrawal process after the girder was installed. A girder refers to the beam placed to lay the slab over the bridge columns.
On the 25th, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport revealed this through response materials regarding the collapse incident that occurred in section 9 of the Cheonan-Anseong section of the Seoul-Sejong Expressway.
At approximately 9:49 a.m. on that day, an incident occurred where a structure above a pier collapsed in section 9 of the Cheonan-Anseong section of the Seoul-Sejong Expressway near Ipgyeong-myeon, Seobuk-gu, Cheonan. As a result, 10 individuals working at the construction site fell, with 4 confirmed dead, 5 seriously injured, and 1 sustaining minor injuries. The deceased were transported to Anseong Medical Center and Good Morning Hospital. The injured individuals are receiving treatment at Dankook University Hospital, Ajou University Hospital, and Hallym University Hospital.
The construction, where the incident occurred, is commissioned by the Korea Expressway Corporation and undertaken by Hyundai Engineering. The subcontractor is Jangheon Industry, and the construction project management is handled by the commissioning authority. The total project cost for the section of the Sejong Expressway is 192.5 billion won. The project period is from 2019 to 2026. The current progress rate is 63%.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is establishing a disaster response headquarters and is working closely with related agencies such as the fire department, the police, the Korea Expressway Corporation, and local governments to manage the incident.
Minister Park Sang-woo of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport inspected the site of the incident and noted, "It is very unfortunate to see a series of safety accidents since the end of the year." He emphasized, "We will share information in real-time with the fire department, the Korean National Police Agency, local governments, Korea Expressway Corporation and systematically collaborate to promptly manage the incident." He added, "In addition to managing the aftermath, we will listen to the families of the victims and deploy dedicated personnel to support them."