Three people have been killed and three others injured after a decades-old overpass undergoing demolition partially collapsed in the South Korean capital, Seoul, fire officials reported on Tuesday.
Accident During Safety Inspection
The incident occurred while workers were conducting a safety check after demolition work was halted due to concerns that a section of the structure had slightly sunk during concrete slab cutting, said Lee Jong-woon, an official at Seoul's Seodaemun District Fire Station. A portion of the bridge deck suddenly gave way, crushing the victims under debris and wreckage, officials confirmed.
Emergency Response and Disruptions
Police and emergency services cordoned off traffic around the site, where twisted steel beams and shattered concrete slabs hung precariously from the overpass edge. Some debris fell onto a nearby railway, prompting Korea Railroad Corp. to suspend certain operations to Seoul Station.
Built in 1966, the overpass had been under demolition since August of the previous year due to safety concerns. The cause of the collapse is under investigation.
