On the afternoon of the 11th, the construction site of the Shinansan Line in Iljik-dong, Gwangmyeong City, collapsed. Some of the workers present at the site at the time of the accident reportedly lost contact.
According to police and fire authorities, a report was received around 3:13 p.m. on this day regarding a collapse accident at the Shinansan Line section 5-2 construction site near Yangjisa intersection in Gwangmyeong City. At the time of the collapse, reinforcement work was being conducted on the tunnel.
As a result of the accident, two workers were trapped at the site. As of 4:34 p.m. that day, one person was confirmed to be in contact, while the other had lost contact, and rescuers were working to locate them. The fire department has mobilized 60 personnel and 21 pieces of equipment for the rescue operation. Fire drones are also being used in the search.
Earlier, around 12:30 a.m. that day, police received a report that several pillars (supports) inside the underground tunnel at this site had developed cracks. The tunnel was under construction using a '2arch' structure, where one arch-shaped tunnel was drilled and pillars were installed before drilling another tunnel beside it to expand on both sides. Cracks had occurred in the pillars between the two tunnels.
After receiving the report, police imposed a complete restriction on the passage of vehicles and people in both directions on a 1 km stretch of the six-lane ORI road from Gwangmyeong Yangjisa intersection to Anyang Hohyeon intersection. The 17 workers who were working at the site evacuated on their own.
The construction company for the section where the accident occurred is POSCO Engineering & Construction. After a construction official discovered the cracks during work, they notified the Gwangmyeong City Hall, and city officials subsequently requested police and others for traffic control and other measures.