“On the sixth day since the collapse accident at the underground tunnel construction site of the Shinansan Line in Gwangmyeong-si, Gyeonggi-do, where one worker has gone missing, firefighting authorities are putting all efforts into the search.
The Gyeonggi Provincial Fire & Disaster Headquarters announced on the 16th that they have dug to a depth of 21 meters out of the total depth of 34.5 meters from the ground to the underground tunnel at the collapse site. They secured a passage to the lower part of the underground tunnel and used a small excavator overnight to remove about 300 tons of soil and steel structures.
Despite conducting several searches with four rescue dogs, the firefighting authorities did not find any unusual signs. At the site, instruments to monitor for signs of collapse and light sensors to detect ground deformation have been installed.
At 5:55 a.m. that day, a device detected about an 8mm movement, causing the rescue team to temporarily withdraw, but the search operation resumed at 6:30 a.m. after an inspection confirmed there were no safety issues.
The police, Gwangmyeong City, the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and POSCO E&C, among other related agencies, are expected to provide 199 personnel and 42 pieces of equipment. A fire department official stated, ‘We are focusing all efforts on removing the lower obstacles utilizing small excavators.’
The accident occurred at 3:13 p.m. on the 11th, when the construction site of the underground tunnel and the road above it collapsed during the double-track subway construction at section 5-2 of the Shinansan Line in Ildong-dong, Gwangmyeong-si. As a result, a worker in his 50s from POSCO E&C has gone missing and is presumed to be located between 35 to 40 meters underground.”