Two people killed in bridge ramp collapse in Seoul

Two Chinese workers were killed and another injured as a section of an under-construction 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 the ill-fated workers, 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.

The accident 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 South Korea, about 40 kilometers west of Seoul.

Police said they are investigating the exact cause of the accident.

The municipal government began construction on the entrance ramp in 2005 at a cost of 109 billion won (US$98.6 million) for completion in June next year.

There are 31 bridges over the Han River that flows through the center of Seoul into the West Sea. (Yonhap)