On the morning of February 25th, in the northwest district of Tan’an City, Chungnam Province, South Korea, a bridge collapse occurred at a construction site on a highway, resulting in the burial of 10 workers. The rescue operation has concluded, with 4 fatalities and 6 others sustaining varying degrees of injuries. Among the deceased are 2 Chinese citizens.
According to reports from South Korean media, the bridge construction project on the Seoul Sejong Expressway section from Anseong to Yongin in Gyeonggi Province was underway. Around 9:49 am this morning, 5 steel structures spanning 50 meters each (steel beams) supporting the bridge suddenly collapsed in sequence, burying 10 workers at the site.
These steel structures, H-shaped steel installed on bridge piers, collapsed unexpectedly while workers were using a crane to move them to another pier. The total collapsed section of the road is approximately 210 meters long.
Eyewitnesses at the scene, interviewed by South Korean media, mentioned that the bridge was located at the junction of mountainous and flat terrains. When the bridge deck collapsed, a loud noise was heard, and the dust raised by the collapsing bridge engulfed the area. However, there were no pedestrians around when the accident occurred.
Shortly after the incident, the South Korean Fire Department issued a “National Fire Mobilization Order”, urgently dispatching 18 fire trucks and 53 firefighters from Gyeonggi Province, Chungcheongbuk Province, the Central 119 Rescue Headquarters, and the 119 Chemical Rescue Center to the scene for rescue operations.
South Korean Acting President Choe Sang-mok has issued emergency instructions to various departments, including the Ministry of Administration and Security, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the Fire Department, and the Police Department, mobilizing all available manpower and equipment to prioritize rescuing personnel and exerting all efforts to search for the missing.
According to the latest information from the Anseong Fire Department in Gyeonggi Province, the incident led to 10 people being buried. Among them, 4 individuals have died, 5 are severely injured, and 1 sustained minor injuries, with 3 of them being Chinese workers.
Rescue personnel found the final buried individual at 2:21 pm that day, but unfortunately, that person had already passed away.
It is known that the Seoul Sejong Expressway is 134 kilometers long, roughly divided into two sections: the Capital Area (Anseong to Guri, 72 kilometers in total) and the Non-Capital Area (Sejong to Anseong, including the Wongsong branch line, 62 kilometers in total). The Capital Area section was opened to traffic on January 1st this year, while the remaining Non-Capital Area section is expected to be completed by the end of 2026. The incident occurred in the Non-Capital Area section at the ninth construction zone from Tan’an to Anseong.