Rescue workers recount aftermath of subway collapse

Rescuers search for missing workers at the site of a collapse at a Sinansan Line construction site in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province, Sunday. Yonhap

Search efforts resumed Sunday for a worker still missing after a construction site collapse, following a temporary suspension due to fears of further cave-ins. Another worker trapped roughly 30 meters underground was rescued safely on Saturday, 13 hours after the incident, authorities said.

A construction site for a section of the Sinansan Line in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province, collapsed Friday, caving in part of the road above and damaging several nearby buildings. The cause remains unclear, and no fatalities have been confirmed.

A fire authority official said Sunday that the decision to restart the search was made based on a situational assessment involving civil engineering and geological experts. However, he noted that due to numerous hazards at the site, accessing the lower section of the collapsed underground tunnel remains impossible.

The remaining missing person, a man in his 50s, is believed to be approximately 35 to 40 meters beneath the surface, though his exact location and condition have not yet been confirmed.

Fire authorities carried out an overnight rescue operation into Saturday to save the excavator operator, a man in his 20s whose name has not been released. Although he remained conscious and was able to speak with rescuers by phone, the threat of further collapses made the mission especially difficult.

After using a crane to lift concrete slabs — each weighing more than 200 kilograms — firefighters from Gyeonggi Province's Special Response Unit crawled into the underground site armed with shovels and hoes, digging their way slowly toward the trapped worker.

When they finally spotted his white helmet amid the rubble, the team proceeded with extreme caution, cutting away rebar and clearing debris by hand. A steel beam was pressing against his abdomen, and removing it improperly could have caused shock, making the situation even more dangerous.

After six hours of painstaking effort, rescuers finally reached the trapped worker. He was found crouching, his lower body buried in soil, while debris had piled up around his face and upper body — leaving only a small pocket of air for him to breathe.

Rescue authorities search for missing workers at the site of a collapse at a Sinansan Line construction site in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province, Sunday. Yonhap

One of the first things rescuers handed him was a carton of chocolate milk with a straw, offering much-needed hydration after he had gone without water for hours.

To calm the worker’s anxiety — he had reportedly pleaded, “Will I survive? Please save me,” as the hours wore on — rescuers kept him talking, asking light questions about his personal life. In the final stage of the rescue, they carefully suspended him from a large crane’s wire and safely brought him to the surface.

During Saturday’s search operations, rescuers heard unusual noises and saw parts of the structure fall, authorities said. Fearing additional collapses, the team decided to withdraw.

The weather complicated the situation further. Gwangmyeong recorded 23.5 millimeters of rain on Saturday, and a strong wind advisory had been issued the day before. Late at night, snow began to fall as temperatures dropped sharply.

The Sinansan Line, where the accident happened, is a 44.7-kilometer double-track rail line connecting Yeouido in southwestern Seoul with Ansan and Siheung in Gyeonggi Province. Initially scheduled to open this month, the project had already been delayed to next year. The latest accident sparked concerns that the timeline could be pushed back even further.