2 killed as Seoul's Banghwa Bridge ramp collapses
By Kim Jae-won
Rescue workers conduct search and rescue work under the Banghwa Bridge in western Seoul after a section of an under-construction ramp on to the bridge collapsed Tuesday. Two construction workers were killed with another injured in the accident. / Yonhap
Two Chinese workers with Korean origin were killed and another injured as a section of a ramp onto a bridge over the Han River collapsed Tuesday, police and city officials said.
A 47-meter-long steel structure and heavy equipment fell from the entrance ramp onto Banghwa Bridge in western Seoul shortly after 1 p.m., crushing Choi Chang-hee, 50, and Heo Dong-gil, 52, according to Seoul’s Gangseo Police Station and the Seoul Metropolitan Government.
Four workers, all Chinese nationals, were at the site at the time of the collapse. Kim Kyung-tae, 59, was injured and sent to a nearby hospital while the other unidentified worker was safe from the accident, police sources said.
The latest accident has occurred barely two weeks after seven workers were killed at an underground water construction site in Noryangjin, southwestern Seoul. Both projects were ordered by the Seoul Metropolitan Government.
It took place on the southern side of the bridge, which links the western part of Seoul to Gyeonggi Province and a highway leading to Incheon International Airport, the main gateway to Korea, about 40 kilometers west of Seoul.
Some local media initially reported that the bridge pavement collapsed, but the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport denied it, saying it occurred at the entrance ramp and traffic on the bridge was not affected by the accident.
Police said they are investigating the exact cause of the accident.
Seoul Metropolitan Government began construction on the entrance ramp in 2005 at a cost of 109 billion won ($98.6 million) scheduled to be completed in June next year.
There are 31 bridges over the Han River that flows through the center of Seoul into the West Sea.
Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon headed to the bridge shortly after the accident occurred. An official said that an investigation into the causes of the accident was underway and the city would come up with a recovery plan as soon as the investigation is done.