Elevated parts of a highway under construction collapsed south of the Korean capital on Tuesday, killing at least four workers and injuring six others, officials said.
Ten people were working on the site in the city of Cheonan, about 90 kilometers from Seoul. They fell when it collapsed and were trapped in the rubble, the National Fire Agency said.
Ko Kyung-man, an Anseong fire official, said that four people had died, including two Chinese nationals, and six were injured, including five who were in a critical condition. The five also included one Chinese citizen.
"They were working to install a deck on the bridge," Ko told a televised briefing. "All of the 10 were up on the deck ... and fell from both sides when it collapsed."
The cause of the collapse wasn’t immediately known.
Broadcaster YTN aired dramatic footage showing a deck of a towering bridge collapsing at the site.
Acting President Choi Sang-mok urged authorities to mobilize all available personnel and equipment to salvage the workers.
The Transport Ministry said it has dispatched a team of officials to the scene.
Data released in March by South Korea's labor ministry showed that 598 industrial workers died in 2023, with the construction sector accounting for nearly half, or 303, though the total death toll was down from 644 in 2022.
