Emergency Alert! In Gwangmyeong City, South Korea, a major tunnel collapse occurred on April 11 in the Shin Ansan Line railway they are building. According to reports, the support beams of the tunnel developed cracks, causing it to collapse. Because of this, the surrounding streets also collapsed.
There were 17 workers on site, and when the tunnel collapsed, 5 were initially uncontactable. Later on, 3 of them were safe, while one (Korean male, 30s) was contacted but was still trapped underneath. Another excavator operator (Korean male, 50s) is still missing to this day.
The incident occurred at 3:13 PM, and immediately the fire department arrived at 3:20 PM to control traffic and ensure the safety of the area. The accident was near an elementary school.
There were witnesses who said, “We heard a loud sound, like something exploded, then dust went up.”
Allegedly, as early as 12:30 AM, a crack was already detected in the tunnel structure. That is why there was a road control before the collapse occurred. The Ministry of Land, Transport, as well as the contractor POSCO Construction, have already gone to the site to investigate the cause and develop a repair plan.
